Doctor, Doctor
by MrsLMB
Summary: Hot shot Dr. Paul Lahote has everything he's ever wanted. Good friends and family. A big house on the Reservation and a job that he loves. He is even part of the pack. But what will a blast from the past mean for his perfect life? M for Mature content.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi all. Here is doctor, doctor. Hope you enjoy this story. Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight, not me.**

 **Chapter 1 - Convenience**

"Push another round of epi and charge to six hundred." Dr. Paul Lahote ordered the two nurses on his team.

The patient he and his team were working on, came in with ventricular fibrillation. His wife, who came along in the ambulance had told Paul that her husband had come home from work complaining of chest pains and nausea and had collapsed on his way to the fridge for some water.

"All clear." Paul shouted. The nurses stepped back and watched the patient jerk as Paul shocked him with the defibrillator, in yet another attempt to get his heart back into sinus rhythm. They've already failed twice, and this was now their third attempt.

The team, including Paul, held their breath, watching the monitor to see if they had succeeded this time. The seconds felt like hours. The clock on the wall behind the curtains ticked audibly, mocking them. There was an united silence in the E.R. as everyone, including the admin clerks and nurses involved with other patients, came to a standstill, waiting to hear the beep of a normal heartbeat from the monitor behind the curtains. The room was so quiet that you could have heard a pin drop.

'Come on, come on. Please?' Paul thought. He refused to let this patient die.

"Yes!" Paul exclaimed loudly when finally, the monitor beeped out the sound of a regular heart beat. Strong and steady. "Good job, everyone!" He smiled at the nurses. "You guys are rock stars."

"You're the one who did it, Doc." The male nurse said to his right and high fived him.

"It would have been impossible without you guys. As always." Paul said in earnest. He really did have a good team tonight.

Paul yanked back the curtains as everyone resumed their previous tasks, the E.R. once again in a hustle and bustle as the staff rushed to administer medication or carry out orders.

"Mrs. Scott, your husband's heart was beating very rapidly and erratically. His heart chambers were basically quivering instead of contracting normally to pump blood through his body. We've already sent away blood for testing, hopefully to get some proper answers. At the moment it's not quite clear what the cause was, but I will let you know as soon as I get the results."

"Thank you, Doctor. You saved his life." The relieved wife sighed and embraced Paul tightly. "Can I go sit with him now?"

"You sure can, m'am. Just keep in mind that he needs his rest." Paul tried and failed to keep a slight blush from creeping onto his russet cheeks.

Paul parked himself in a chair and rubbed his face with his hands. He's been up and running for the past thirty odd hours and he felt physically drained right now. First had been his patrolling shift and then his regular twelve hour shift at the hospital. As luck would have it, one of the night shift doctors had called in sick, just an hour before he was due to head home. Home to Grace. Fuck! She was so pissed at him when he told her he'd have to do a double shift, that they'd ended their phone conversation less than ideally. And what he meant by that was, she had started ranting on and on about how he was never home and how, and when he actually was home, he'd always wanted to spend time with his friends.

'Grace. 'Ha! Everything but.' Paul thought.

Things with Grace really was difficult. She wasn't his imprint, which of course meant that he couldn't tell her anything involving the wolf pack. If he really had to admit it to himself, he could see where she was coming from. Keeping these secrets wasn't fair to her. To either of them. But it was the only way to protect the pack.

Why, then, did he keep going on with this relationship, you may ask? The answer was simple. He needed a woman in his life, who could keep the household running and as selfish as it may sound, he needed the sex as well. He was only a man, after all. A tired man who was too god damned exhausted and way too busy to go out looking for someone else. Their relationship was convenient.

Paul pushed these thoughts aside and started on his paperwork, hoping that he could stay awake. He really did love his job. He loved the rush, the chaos and most of all, the satisfaction of saving lives. Not in an arrogant way. He just loved helping people.

He finished up his admin as fast as possible, so that he could go check on the abdominal pain and the broken ankle that he had started treating just before the ambulance with Mr. Scott had arrived. He signed all the orders that he'd given, scribbled a few notes on the charts and stacked them on top of each other for the nurses. They still needed to write their entries.

Paul looked around the E.R. which was now relatively quiet. God, he loved this place. It was a shame that he loved it more than he loved his girlfriend. It wasn't supposed to be like this. He yearned to feel this way about a woman again. He used to, years ago. About Bella Swan. Maybe he still did love her, but she was now leading her own life, like she'd asked him to do, as well. But he knew deep down, that it was not Grace that held his heart.

Paul remembered the night of the break up _._

 _Bella was crying bitterly as she spoke the words, "Paul. I can't do this anymore. I need to focus on what I want right now. My career. I got a really great offer to go work in California. Under one of the best OB/GYN's. So, I'm asking you to let me go."_

 _"Why can't we do the long distance thing?" He tried desperately to change her mind._

 _"Be realistic, Paul. It's too much travelling. And you know neither of us have the time right now to try and make a long distance relationship work. It would be madness."_

 _"So you're just gonna leave Seattle to go work in Cali, where you've got no friends and no family?"_

 _"Yes." She had said so simply. The finality of her words cutting him to the bone._

He snapped out of it, focusing his attention back to his job. He needed to go see how his patients were doing.

"How's that ankle treating you, Holly?" He asked as he sat down next to his patient with the broken ankle, on the gurney.

"Still a little painful, doc, but much better." The blonde young woman said and smiled at him. It was one of _those_ smiles that he was so used to by now. It really didn't bother him anymore. It used to be distracting and even a little irritating the first couple of years when he'd started working in the hospital, but now he just blithely ignored the flirts, smiles and sometimes the touching.

"We're going to send you to theater soon. Dr. Sutton will be doing the operation and I can promise you that he is an incredible orthopedic surgeon . So no need to worry. It does however mean that you'll have to stay off the ankle for about six weeks. But I'll let Dr. Sutton explain all of the nitty gritty details to you." He smiled reassuringly at his patient and made his way over to the next bed, before he gave the poor blue eyed girl the wrong idea.

As it turned out, his patient with the abdominal pain had over indulged when he had joined his friends for eat all you can pizza night, and thus, the result was indigestion. He wrote a prescription for an antacid and antispasmodic that would sort out the problem very quickly, discharging his patient with a firm handshake, shoving the prescription into the man's hand.

Paul forced his tired body toward the kitchen to go make himself a cup of coffee, hopefully to aid him in getting through the last forty-five minutes, before this shift ended. And then it meant sleep. He had the weekend off and he sure as hell was going to rest. He didn't have anything planned, but there would probably be a dinner at Sam and Emily's. One that he would have to miss out on, or go to alone, thanks to Grace who wasn't very fond of his friends.

Paul and Grace had made up when he got home this morning, that being the reason that he now found himself buried deep inside of his girlfriend. God, he was really tired and couldn't seem to find his release, which was lucky for Grace though, satisfying her needs more than once. For some reason, Paul found himself thinking back on the times he'd been with Bella. Their love making had always been so fierce and passionate, needy even. He remembered the way she responded to the slightest touch from him. How, without even really trying, he could make her cum. He had never struggled to find his release once, on the contrary, it had usually taken all of his self control not to cum too soon.

The thought of Bella made him pump himself harder into Grace, fucking her relentlessly. He knew how wrong this was, but as Paul released deep inside of Grace, trying not to moan out his ex's name, he was silently thankful that it had finally happened. He didn't need his girlfriend to think that something was wrong. He didn't have the energy for another fight.

Paul fell asleep soon after Grace had gotten up to get ready for work. She gave him a quick kiss and an 'I love you', before she headed for the bathroom.

When he woke again, he pulled his phone from the charger and checked the time. Twenty two minutes past three. He stretched in bed, pulled the covers off of his body and sat up on the side of the bed, rubbing his face. He felt a little disoriented. For a moment, he wasn't sure what day it was or if he was supposed to be at work or not. This is why he hated night shift.

Later, when Paul finally felt like he was properly awake, he drowned his last mouth full of coffee and checked his phone again. Sure enough, just as he had predicted last night, there was a message inviting him to join his friends for dinner at Sam and Emily's house tonight.

"Hi, darling." Came Grace's response as she picked up after only one ring. God, he hated being called darling. Especially by her. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did, thanks. How's work?"

"Oh, you know. Boring as always." Grace replied with a sigh.

Grace was the owner of a small second hand bookshop in Forks. Needless to say, neither her day nor mind were filled with many challenges. Grace wasn't dumb, per say, but she definitely wasn't one of the brightest women Paul had ever dated. It was exactly this fact that had attracted him to her in the first place. He had thought that it would make for an easy relationship, which it did in the beginning. Until her true colors started to show. Grace's emotions were like a fucking one man circus. Up, down and then up again. There was a word for someone like her. _Mental_.

"So, Sam's invited us for dinner, tonight. All of our friends will be there."

"All of _your_ friends." Grace emphasized. "Not mine. See, this is exactly what I talked about last night. You've been working for more than twenty four hours, and this morning I got to see you for all of thirty minutes, before I had to leave for work. And now that you're off for the weekend, you're already making plans with your friends again."

"So come with me, then."

"No. Why don't _you_ stay home with _me_?"

"Because I want to see my friends."

"So let me get this straight. You'd rather spend time with them than with me?" Even though Grace had made it sound like a question, Paul knew better. It was an accusation.

Late afternoon found Paul getting ready to go to his friends. Needless to say, he was going on his own and he needed to hurry and get the fuck out of the house, before Grace came home. He didn't feel like dealing with more of her shit. The conversation from earlier had heated up quickly, turning into yet another fight. One that was getting old, very quickly.

 **A/N: So, what did you think about the first chapter? Please read and review. Much love. MrsLMB xxx**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I don't own Twilight, I only own the plot. What do you guys think of Grace? Thanks for the reviews. Don't be too hard on Paul, guys. He is a really good guy in this story. Here is chapter 2. Enjoy. P.S. If you haven't listened to Out of the woods by Taylor Swift, do it now. This story is loosely based on parts of the song. The song really resonated with me and inspired me. xxx**

 **Chapter 2 - Moving on**

 **BPOV**

Bella was dancing with her work colleagues, at a club called China white. It was her farewell party. One thrown by the colleagues who were around the same age as her. There had been a formal tea and cake farewell at work, earlier, which was nice, but just a tad too boring for Bella's taste.

Mark ground himself against Bella suddenly, startling her. She suppose she'd asked for it, since she had flirted shamelessly with him for a while now, to get him to take over one of her more difficult patients, before she had to leave. This was a particularly demanding patient. Bella knew this, because Mrs. Wilson had been Bella's patient since she'd fallen pregnant with her first and second child and now with her third. Luckily Mark had agreed to take Mrs. Wilson off her hands. There was no point in starting something that she couldn't finish. She was leaving tomorrow, anyway. Bella sighed and gave in, grinding back against Mark. He was a very good looking guy, if you liked the surfer type kind of guy. Blond, curly hair, blue eyes and just a whisper of freckles over his nose and cheek bones. She didn't, though, but she supposed he'd have to do for tonight. She needed a release. Bella had been without sex for almost six months and it was starting to get to her.

"Let's get out of here." Bella whispered in his ear and pulled Mark from the crowded dance floor by his hand. He followed only too willingly.

"Your place or mine?" He asked as they stepped out of the club. The cold night air bit at Bella's face and her breath came out in white puffs. Her head spinning slightly. She had quite a few drinks tonight, and was slightly drunk.

"Yours." She answered him quickly, maybe a little too quickly. She just didn't want the hassle of shooing him from her house afterward. "Mine is a little uninhabitable at the moment. Everything is packed up into boxes already." It was the truth. Tomorrow she would be leaving as soon as the moving company loaded her stuff and right now there was only a tiny mattress on the living room floor that she would be sleeping on tonight.

"Oh yeah, baby." Mark groaned as he came, his body jerking to a halt, leaving Bella extremely unsatisfied.

'Jesus, what a tool.' Bella thought. The moment they'd stepped into his bedroom, he had removed both of their clothes in a rush. No kissing or even touching. Then, Bella had to lay there and watch him fumble with the fucking condom like it was brain science. When he'd almost broken a second condom in an attempt to get it over his below average sized dick, she relented and got up to help him.

And that was it. He spread her legs apart and thrust into her. No foreplay. Nothing. He didn't even play with her breasts. So, needles to say, if it weren't for the little bit of lubricant from the condom, it would have been a really painful round of sex. She wasn't wet at all and definitely not turned on. It was so different from what she was used to. She didn't think it was fair to compare him with Paul, because she knew that sex with him was on a whole different playing field, but even the odd guy here and there that she'd had sex with in the past, had been way better than Mark.

"Wow." Mark panted as he rolled off of Bella. "Good, right?"

"That was something else." Bella said, trying not to flat out tell him what a poor performance he'd given.

Obviously not catching on, he turned his head to her and smiled. "Yeah."

Bella got up. She would go take care of her needs at home, maybe take a bath and make good work of using the shower head for old time's sake.

"Where are you going?" Mark asked as disappointment laced his words and showed on his face.

"As great as this was," Bella motioned with her finger between them, trying not to sound too sarcastic, "I need to get going. I've got an early start tomorrow."

"Oh, okay." He said, sounding a little put down. Bella almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

The warm water of the bath almost burned Bella's skin as she brought the shower head to the place where she most needed it now. The strong spray against her needy bundle of nerves sent a jolt through her body. "Mmm," she moaned. Her mind drifted back to one of many nights in bed with Paul, making her lady bits throb. He had dragged Bella away from the labor ward one night and snuck them into an empty supply room. They'd both been too busy the past week to have any sex and they were both feeling a little depraved. Paul had made quick work of ridding them of their scrubs, lifted Bella up against one of the shelves and stroked her wet mound, dipping a finger languidly into her hot core, stretching her and soon added a second finger. They were kissing fiercely and tried to be quiet as Paul made Bella cum with only two fingers. He'd removed them when she'd ridden out her orgasm, putting his large fingers to his mouth, sucking off her juices. He always new how to turn her on. Bella had bucked her hips up to his, feeling his very erect cock push against her slick, swollen folds, the tip of his head dipping into her hot, weeping core.

"Ah, fuck. Yes!" Bella's orgasm pulled her back from her memories as she writhed, her lady bits pulsing with release. She panted as she came down from her high. How would anyone ever match up to Paul's skills in the bedroom. To Paul in general, actually

* * *

The moving company was at Bella's house bright and early the next morning, just as she'd dried off her coffee mug and stowed it in the box, labelled 'kitchen'.

She let them in and hurried over to her phone, a familiar song letting her know that it was her friend, Lana, calling.

"So? How was it? Give me all the dirty details, you little slut." Lana teased.

"Oh my god, Lana. Don't get me started." But Bella reluctantly launched into telling her friend about the previous nights events after she had left with Mark. Not leaving anything out.

"That's terrible." Lana said finally. "Was he at least sizeable?" Bella looked over to the men who were almost done loading all of her stuff. One of them gave her a naughty smile and a wink. Bella blushed, but continued, "No. He was way below par. I guess I'm used to much, much bigger. " She said in the direction of the pervy guy, who was watching her openly now. "Paul was about thirteen inches, I would say." This seemed to snap the guy out of it, as he looked down and busied himself with carrying out more boxes. 'Serves him right for trying to hit on her,' Bella thought wickedly.

"Okay, I have to go. I'll see you soon." Bella said as the last of the boxes were carried out from the house. Bella had to pick Lana up on the way to the airport, so that her friend could drive her car back again. Lana had agreed to buy the car from Bella. Charlie had already ordered a new car for Bella, and it was being transported to Forks at that very moment. Too bad it wouldn't be there until Monday morning.

* * *

The drive to John Wayne airport from Irvine took basically no time at all. Bella and Lana chatted about random things, both trying to avoid the sad good bye. Sure, they could visit, but Bella knew how these things went. Once both of them fell back into work and everyday life, chats over the phone would become shorter, messages would become less and eventually they would lose touch.

Lana helped Bella with her bags as they walked to the check-in desk.

The queue at the wasn't very long, which was sad. This meant that they had to say a relatively quick goodbye.

"I'll miss you." Lana said as she squeezed Bella tightly, rocking them both from side to side. "We can still visit each other."

"Of course we can." Bella agreed, knowing it was no use telling Lana otherwise. "I'll miss you too. I love you. Be good and don't do anything that wouldn't do."

A friendly woman, dressed in a navy uniform, helped Bella quickly and informed her that the flight was going to leave soon. This meant that Bella had to hurry.

Bella headed for the terminal as they called that her flight was now starting to board.

Once on the plane, Bella fished her Ipod from her purse and plugged the earpieces into her ears, sitting back in a comfortable business class seat. She sighed. Many nights had been spent wondering if she was doing the right thing in leaving her practice behind. Bella had worked really hard to get where she was today. She'd pushed her friends and family aside and sacrificed a personal life to become one of the most sought after OB/GYN's in Irvine. And what did she have to show for it? Nothing. Just a shit load of money. That was it. She was thirty two and wasn't even in a relationship.

Bella's last serious relationship had been with Paul. Bella and Paul had met each other briefly a couple of times while Bella had been in high school and when they ended up in med school together, their friendship came easy. That was how it went, wasn't it. You always automatically hung out with someone that you knew, just not to be alone in those scary first weeks at college. Eventually, their friendship grew into a relationship, the two of them clicking on a deeper level. They had fallen for each other hard and fast. They dated all through med school and even up until Bella got a job offer in California, to train under the top OB/GYN, who was going to retire soon and was looking for someone to take over from him. Someone to whom he could pass on his knowledge. Bella still remembered how she had cried the day she told Paul he needed to let her go. Bella had been overly ambitious back then, always thinking that there would be time for a personal life later. It had broken Paul's heart, both of their's actually. Bella sighed. She supposed there was no point in dwelling on the past.

* * *

Bella scanned the waiting crowd for her parents. She had seen them almost a year ago and in that moment she realized how selfish she had been. She had missed so many Christmases and special occasions, including her parent's thirtieth anniversary, all because she wanted to make a name for herself. She now knew that leaving her practice in Irvine to come work at the local clinic on the reservation, near Forks, had been the right choice. It meant that she would work a nine to five job, have less stress and she would no longer be on call every other night. She could spend more time with friends and family. Time, that Bella now understood, was very precious.

"Bella!" Her mother shouted and waved, somewhere to the left. Her mother looked so happy to see her. She let go of Charlie's hand and practically ran to her daughter.

"Mom! God, it's good to see you." She embraced her mother tightly, not wanting to let go.

Reneé cupped Bella's face in her hands, giving her a proper once over, before pulling Bella back into her arms. "Oh, my baby, I'm so glad you're here."

"Let her breathe, darling." Charlie scolded his wife playfully as he took his turn to hug his daughter.

"Hi, Bell's." He smiled, his mustache twitching up at the corners. "Welcome home."

The three of them walked close together toward the carousel where quite a few bags were still going around. Bella rushed to grab her pink luggage as it passed by and huffed as she felt how heavy it was. Why did she have to pack so much clothes. She was going to buy a new wardrobe anyway, as the weather in Forks differed greatly from that in Cali.

"You look like you haven't eaten in months." Her mother commented, her brows smashing together in a frown as she looked over her shoulder to her daughter sitting in the back of the car. You're extremely thin."

"There wasn't time to eat regularly, mom. In fact, there wasn't time for anything except work."

"You had time for sex." Her mother said knowingly. Bella and her mother had a very open relationship.

"Not as much as I would have liked. Save for last night, I've been without any for almost six months. Don't you just feel so sorry for me?" Bella teased.

Charlie coughed to show his discomfort, which Bella and Reneé ignored blithely.

"So, what happened last night? And with whom?" her mother continued the conversation.

"Ugh," Bella groaned, "his name's Mark. Unbelievably shit in bed and",Bella shot a quick glance at her father to make sure he wasn't looking and then focused her attention back on her mother, illustrating with her thumb and forefinger, the size of Mark's penis, or rather, the lack there of.

"Seriously!" Charlie frowned into the rear view mirror at his daughter. "Can the two of you not talk about this while I'm here. I'd like to keep pretending that my daughter is still very much an innocent woman."

Bella and Reneé laughed, but changed the topic to her new job.

"When do you start at the clinic?" Her mother asked.

"I've got the week off, and then I take over from Doctor Seymour. He promised that he would still help me get into the swing of things for a week and then he's going to leave me to my merry old self."

"I think you are going to enjoy working there, Bell's." Charlie chipped in. "And you can spend time with your friends on the reservation again."

"Yeah, I can."

Bella had become good friends with Paul's friends over the years that they've dated. The two of them had spent most of their vacations on the reservation with Leah, Emily and the rest of the gang. Or at Paul's parents or her parent's house.

'Leah,' Bella thought. 'How she missed her BFF.' They had hit it off from night one, when Paul had introduced Bella to his friends, as his girlfriend. This was one relationship that Bella had never neglected, even if most of it was via text message or over the phone. Leah had visited her twice since she had moved to California, but they were both busy women with good jobs and more regular visits weren't possible.

 **A/N: I love how open Bella and her mother are. I wanted to bring in a little comic relief and I thought that Bella and Reneé's conversation would be the perfect way to do it.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I don't own any of the characters or the twilight story. I only own the plot. All credit goes to the original author of twilight. I hope you guys enjoy this story. Thanks for reading.**

 **Chapter 3 - A new beginning**

 **BPOV**

It was Saturday and Bella and Leah were on their way to Port Angeles to go furniture shopping for Bella's new place. Place being an understatement. Bella had purchased a big house right on the beach, on the reservation.

The top of Bella's sleek new silver Mercedes was down, wind whipping through the two women's hair. They were singing along to an old favorite of theirs, laughing when they missed a particularly high note her or there.

"I missed this a lot, you know. It just wasn't the same without you." Leah said as she lifted her sunglasses from her nose to look Bella in the eye.

"Yeah," Bella let out a sigh of contentment. "I know, but I'm here to stay now. And you won't be able to get rid of me." Bella's nose crinkled as she smiled at her friend.

"So have you thought of color schemes at all?" Leah asked as the two brunettes browsed the store, looking for decent, comfortable couches.

"Yeah, I was thinking autumn colors. Dark brown, light brown, orange and red. What do you think? I want the living room to be warm and inviting."

"Could work. Sounds cozy. Ooh, what about these?" Leah asked and plopped down into a particularly plush looking three seater couch, closing her eyes and sighing."

With an "oof", Bella fell back next to Leah, deciding there and then that this was a big yes. "Very comfy. Only thing is that I want a darker material."

A salesman that had been hovering closely to the two women, stepped into their line of vision. He rubbed his neck self consciously. His bald head shined like he had polished it extensively and one of the buttons on his blue silk shirt strained as his beer belly pushed against it. "We have a brown set ready to go, if you'd like?" He asked hopefully, probably wanting the big commission that came with selling this particular set of couches, as it was quite expensive.

"I'll take it." Bella said, smiling at Leah and snuggled closer to her friend, wrapping an arm around her.

* * *

The two women were almost home, when Leah asked, "So, how's about we do some bar hopping, tonight?"

Bella frowned. "I was thinking more along the lines of you, me and a bottle of tequila."

"That could work." Leah agreed. "Just as long as we get some pizza."

"Deal."

Leah, who was driving now, put on the indicator and turned right into the parking lot of the local store, and parked in front of the liquor store.

Bella busied herself with hunting down a good bottle of tequila, while Leah was on the phone, ordering pizza. Bella held up a bottle of Don Julio, lifting a brow to Leah. She nodded her approval as she gave the address for delivery. They were going to have their little drinking party at Leah's parent's house, where she still lived.

"Shit!" Bella yelled as a pair of warm hands clapped over her eyes and a familiar voice whispered in her ear, "Guess who?"

Bella pried the hands from her face, tequila still in hand and turned to face one of her good friends. "Quil!" She exclaimed and pulled him in for a hug.

"You're back."

"Yeah, I am. Didn't Leah tell you?"

"She must have forgotten." Quil said, giving Leah a dirty look.

"I meant to." Leah defended after ending the call. "It just slipped my mind."

"So, for how long are you staying?"

"Actually, I'm staying for good. I just bought a house on the reservation about a month ago."

"No kidding? The big one right on the beach?"

"That's the one."

"Awesome. Guess we'll be seeing a lot more of you, then?"

"Yeah, in fact, I'm taking over from Dr. Seymour at the Reservation's clinic."

"What? Did you get tired of vagina's?"

"Uhm, no, not really. Though I looked at vagina's for a whole different reason than you."

* * *

 **LPOV**

"Cheers!" Bella said and tipped a shot glass full of tequila down her throat. "So tell me more about this new guy your're seeing? It sounded serious on the phone the other night."

"I guess it is. I know it's still very new, but Adrian is different. He's marriage material." Leah wished she could tell Bella about imprinting. About everything, but Billy, their alpha, had ordered the pack not to reveal their secrets to outsiders. Not that Bella was an outsider, per se, but she wasn't an imprint or part of the pack either and this technically excluded her from the small group of people who were allowed to be in on the secret.

"Time is irrelevant when you've met the right person." Bella encouraged her friend.

"What about you?"

"What about me?" Leah knew Bella was playing dumb.

"Is there someone special in your life?"

"No, you idiot. I've been married to my job for that past few years. It was all just a string of one night stands."

"You know," Leah said, trying to sound as patronizing as possible and put her hand over her heart, "you make me so proud. Honest to God."

"Oh, stop it."

Bella poured them another shot, and Leah gasped as the light amber liquid burned it's way down her throat. "Do you still love Paul?" she boldly addressed the elephant in the room.

"Are you kidding? After all these years?" Bella asked and took a swig straight from the bottle this time.

"No, I'm not kidding."

Bella was quiet for a minute, looking lost in thought. Leah was almost beginning to think that Bella wasn't going to answer her, when her friend looked up and finally spoke. "Yeah. I suppose that's something that will never change."

"Thought so."

"So, is he seeing someone?" Bella asked, trying to sound casual, but Leah knew better.

"He is. Her name is Grace."

"Oh," Bella said simply.

"She's a fucking bitch. I actually feel sorry for Paul. She never wants him to hang with us. Not that he pays her any attention, though. He spends more time with us than he does with her and I guess that's her main problem. She's jealous of us. I think deep down she knows that Paul doesn't love her."

"So why is Paul still with her, then?"

"Paul says it's a convenient relationship."

"Convenient, how?"

"Well, he's a really busy guy, married to his job just like you were and he doesn't have time to go looking for a real relationship, let alone try and make a new one work. So, he is staying in this fucked up relationship purely for the sex."

"Oh, so is she that good in bed then?"

"No, not particularly. From what I've heard Paul tell the guys, she's actually quite boring in bed. She likes missionary. A lot. And only wants to have sex in bed. She doesn't like to experiment."

"That's a shame, because when we were together, Paul took me on every surface, in every position that he could manage. But I guess I've told you this before."

It was true. Leah and Bella had always discussed their sex lives very openly with each other. They never judged each other and when she'd heard Bella crying over the phone, one night, telling her that she'd broken up with Paul, she'd comforted her. Only Leah knew the real reason why. Bella didn't want to be held back from having the career of her dreams, but that was only part of it. Bella had a miscarriage before the break-up. Neither she nor Paul had even known that Bella was pregnant. Bella had said that this was exactly the sort of thing that could have easily ended everything she'd worked so hard for. Her relationship with Paul had been very serious and Bella had needed to put some distance between them, so that she could focus on her goals. The fact that things could have easily turned out differently, had overwhelmed Bella. She was scared of another unplanned pregnancy, that might actually be the end of everything for her. Bella had never told Paul about the baby she lost. She didn't even want to imagine how Bella must have felt, dealing with the miscarriage all alone.

Leah wondered idly if maybe this time, her friend would be open and ready for love, when it came knocking. She supposed the whole pack had always hoped that Paul and Bella would get back together some day. What a waste it would be if they didn't. A love like theirs only came once in a lifetime.

* * *

 **BPOV**

Bella groaned as someone was making a racket in the kitchen. It sounded like they were purposely banging pots and pans together.

She got up from the couch and stretched her sore body out. Her head was throbbing painfully and her stomach felt raw.

Seth and one of his buddies had come home past one last night, shortly after Leah and Bella had finished the bottle of tequila. None of them ready to retire to bed yet, they dove into a full bottle of Jack that Seth had brought home. Bella knew she wasn't as good at handling her drink as the Clearwater children were. Not that she was at all shit at handling alcohol. The siblings just seemed to tolerate copious amounts of alcohol so well.

"What's going on," Bella moaned, holding her head and squinting at the light that was making her head hurt even more, as she all but stumbled down the hall to seek out the source of the noise.

"Oh, hello." Leah's chipper voice came from in front of the stove. "How're you feeling."

"Like I've been hit by a train." She groaned and planted herself in a kitchen chair. "You drank just as much as me. How are you not hung over?"

Leah smiled wickedly. "My little secret."

"Some coffee?" Sue asked, startling Bella. She hadn't even noticed that Sue was also in the kitchen.

"Please, Mrs. C."

She knew that Sue was so used to the antics of her children, but still felt a little ashamed for having passed out on the couch.

Harry came into the kitchen, followed by Seth, who looked just as unaffected by last night's drinking, as his sister did. They greeted everyone, laughing at Bella's hung over state.

Harry kissed his wife on the cheek, took the paper from next to the kettle and sat down at the head of the table, the paper rustling as he opened it.

Seth plonked his large body down onto a chair, next to Bella, making the tiny chair groan dangerously under his weight.

"How are we feeling this morning?" Seth asked merrily, but giving her a knowing smile.

"I've been better." she mumbled.

Harry laughed, but stopped quickly, giving a small cough to hide his amusement. "Sue, why don't you give Bella an advil. Seems like she needs it." 

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Please, please review if you like the story so far.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you guys for the reviews. You're awesome, but don't stop. I had a really busy weekend, so sorry for taking so long to update. This is a shorter chapter, but I hope you enjoy it none the less.**

 **Chapter 4 - surprise, surprise**

 **PPOV**

As Paul jogged through the narrow streets of the reservation, music blaring in his ears, he thought about how things had changed since the day he came back home. He remembered how strange it was, when he was supposed to be so happy to be near his friends and family and having found a job that he loved. But instead, Paul had been angry. All the time. He'd felt at some point like he was losing his mind. He remembered the terrible body aches and fevers he'd experienced as well, not knowing what the hell was happening to him. He hated feeling isolated.

Paul only phased for the first time when he came back from Seattle, to work at Forks hospital, after he and Bella had broken up. Apparently, there were some nomad Vampires in the area one night, shortly after Paul had come back, and that was all it took for him to phase. That was how Billy and Sam had explained the sudden onset of the 'wolf fever' to him. Sam was close by the night Paul phased. He had guided him and explained everything to him. It was a relief to know that he wasn't alone and that he wasn't a freak. Billy had been very lenient toward him, cutting down Paul's patrolling time to twice a week, because of Paul's hectic schedule. Not that there was a threat, but Billy wasn't one who wanted to be caught off guard, though. Not by the cold ones. Billy was a very fair Alpha, but he was strict as well. He didn't take bullshit from anyone and the pack were very intimidated by him.

Paul stopped at the edge of La Push beach, his breathing ragged. He idly glanced toward the big house close by, wondering who had bought it. The house had been on the market for almost a year, nobody even coming to look at it, as property on the reservation wasn't really sought after. It was a close knit community of mostly Native Americans and it was rare for an outsider to come live here. Paul didn't think on it for too long. He was busy admiring the beautiful sunrise before him. It was low tide and the water lazily edged up to his warm feet, stinging his heated skin as it made contact. Even for the wolves, La Push waters were never warm. Paul backed up a little, finding a dry spot of sand and sat down to enjoy the peace and quite that could always clear his mind, no matter what troubles he faced. This was his spot. This was the place he'd ran away to many times, especially after he'd returned home, years ago, when thoughts or dreams about Bella had still plagued him frequently. Recently, he'd been coming here to get away from Grace when they'd had a particularly nasty fight. Which was becoming more and more of a regular thing. Things between them were turning sour really fast and he knew that their relationship wasn't going to last very much longer. He sighed. He would let it run it's course and hopefully she'd give up and move on soon. Paul leaned back on his arms, sighing as he tried to clear his mind. The wind whipped through his unruly hair and cooled his heated skin slightly. He closed his eyes and soaked up the peace and quiet.

* * *

Later that evening, Paul found himself on a couch in Sam's house, everyone there, except Leah, Seth and Quil. The guys were busy watching a lame action movie, while the women were cooking up a storm. Paul's stomach grumbled once, as the smell of a chicken stew assaulted his senses. He was hungry. In fact, since the phase, he was always hungry. One of the perks of being a wolf, though, was that he could eat as much as he wanted, without gaining a single ounce of fat. The wolves all looked like russet skinned gods, especially to the outside world.

"Guess who's back?" Quil said excitedly as he burst through the front door and marched up to an empty couch, plopping down unceremoniously.

"Shady's back?" Jared teased.

"No, seriously. Guess." Quil huffed.

"Just tell us." Sam sighed.

"Bella."

"Bella Swan?" Embry asked.

"Do you know any other Bella's?" Quil asked sarcastically. "I saw her and Leah in the liquor store."

Everyone was now looking at Paul. He kept his head down, avoiding the curious looks that he knew his friends were giving him now.

Minutes ticked by in complete silence. No one said a thing. "What?" he asked finally, when he couldn't take it anymore.

"Got anything to say about it?" Jared asked, lifting a brow.

"Why would I?" Paul tried to keep his heartbeat in check, trying not to betray how he really felt. She was back. What would that mean for him?

"Hello? You dated for five years."

"And?" Paul countered, fighting hard not to show any emotions.

"Whatever." Jared gave up.

What was Paul supposed to say? That his heart still sped up every time he thought of her? Or that he missed her so much some nights, that it physically hurt? What did it matter anyway? So he kept his head down and ignored the stares he still felt on him. This didn't change a thing.

"She was the one who left _me_." Paul said, later that night, when he and Jared sat on the porch, looking out at the woods. "Not the other way around. So why do you all assume that getting back together with Bella is up to me. Or that there is actually a chance that we would get back together?'

"We don't. I guess we're all just hoping. You were so good together. Almost like she was your imprint."

"Yeah." Paul sighed, defeatedly. "I remember. Though, sometimes I wish that I could forget. At the risk of sounding like a complete pussy, it still hurts thinking of her."

"Are you going to go see her?"

"Nope." Paul answered determinedly. "What good would it do? Besides, I have a girlfriend."

"Oh, please. Don't use that bullshit excuse. You and I both know that it's not gonna last for long. YOU DON'T LOVE GRACE!" Jared said emphatically.

"You're right, I don't." Paul rubbed his hands over his face in frustration. "But if I do break-up with her, it doesn't mean that I'm doing it because of Bella. It'll be for me."

"Fine. Just get out of that toxic relationship. If you really admit it to yourself, you aren't so busy that you don't have time for a relationship. You just make sure that you keep busy, to avoid Grace."

"When did you become so wise?" Paul chuckled. Jared always saw through him. It sucked at times. He was the only one to whom Paul couldn't lie. He could never hide anything from his friend, despite trying.

"I've always been wise." Jared teased and laughed with his friend, having had enough of the heavy conversation tonight.

When Paul got home later, he found Grace in bed with a book. She didn't seem mad, as she smiled up at him, which was surprising. And nice. At least this meant they weren't going to fight for once.

"Hi." She greeted him. "How was it?"

"It was okay. Just a movie and dinner. Not anything to write home about. What did you do all evening?"

"Nothing much. Just made something quick to eat and then got into bed with this book." She waved the book she held in one of her hands.

Grace pulled the covers from her body, revealing her naked body to him. An invitation. "I've been hoping you wouldn't come home too late. I need you."

Paul hesitated. He was torn. On the one hand he was tired and he didn't want to give Grace the idea that he was still invested in this relationship, but on the other hand he really wanted to take her and fuck the shit out of her curvy little body.

Grace licked her lips and rubbed her long, tanned legs together in anticipation. She lowered her hand toward her sweet spot and started rubbing it gently, teasing him. He felt weak as his cock sprang to life at the sight of her. How was she able to persuade him so easily, when he felt nothing for her. There was only lust coursing through his veins right now.

He rid himself of his pants first, allowing his cock to spring free, bobbing up and down. He stroked himself as he watched Grace moan and writhe as she sped up her ministrations on her clit. He could smell her wetness and he saw the moistness on her fingers as she dipped them into herself a couple of times before she continued to rub herself.

"Please." She pleaded, looking up at him with pouty lips and heavily lidded eyes.

He removed his shirt and crawled onto the bed, grabbed her legs and yanked them open. He nipped at her inner thigh, making her yelp in surprise. He slapped her hand away, instead thrusting two of his own fingers into her wet and ready slit. He pumped his fingers in and out of her, now sure that she was ready for him. He positioned himself at her entrance, rubbing the tip of his cock against her slick, heated lips, ready to give her what she wanted, but he looked into her blue eyes he realized that it wasn't the chocolate brown eyes that he wanted to see. And for the first time in his whole fucking life, his dick went limp, like the fucking pussy that he was.

'Fuck my life!' Paul thought.

 **A/N: Please review. xxx**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I loved writing this chapter, so I hope you guys enjoy it. Please keep in mind that I edit my own story. No beta. So please excuse any mistakes. Please review to keep me inspired. Let me know what you think. And thank you to all the readers that already reviewed the previous chapters. You rock! xxx**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the twilight saga or any of the characters featured in it. I simply own my plot lines.**

Chapter 5 - Eventuality

BPOV

Bella was busy locking up the clinic when she saw it. Blood everywhere on the peeling white paint of the clinic's front porch. Bella followed the trail with her eyes and jumped slightly when she saw a man slumped against the wall, to the side.

"Oh my god!" Bella clapped a hand over her mouth and hurried back into the clinic, grabbing a pair of gloves and lots bandages, while fumbling with her phone as she tried to dial 911. Bella slipped the gloves on and moved over to the man, who was moaning in pain. Bella clamped the phone between her cheek and shoulder as she started to search the man's body for the origin of the bleed.

"Fuck." Bella whispered as she saw blood pulsing from the top of the man's inner thigh. This wasn't good. "Yes, hi. This is Doctor Swan." She spoke into the phone as an operator asked what the emergency was. "I need an ambulance at La Push clinic. I've got a male, I'm guessing mid thirties, with what looks to be a severed femoral artery. He's bleeding profusely and he's already lost a lot of blood. Definitely a decreased level of consciousness." Bella pushed a thick pile of gauze onto a large cut on the man's leg.

The operator assured Bella that help was on the way and Bella told the operator that she'd already started applying pressure to the wound, but that she was still struggling to control the bleeding.

The ambulance arrived very soon, and Bella stayed with the man as they lifted him onto a gurney and into the back of the emergency vehicle, all the while keeping pressure on the bleed. The man's pants were soaked in blood that was now dripping onto the floor of the ambulance. Bella's gloves and clothes were also covered in blood. She kept talking to the man, trying to keep him awake. He was very pale, drifting in and out of consciousness. "Can you tell me your name?" Bella tried. The man mumbled something that sounded like Greg, but Bella couldn't be sure.

"Do you know where you are, sir?" Bella asked and groaned in pain as the driver suddenly took a particularly sharp turn, her body effectively slamming back against the inside of the vehicle.

The man gave an incoherent answer, increasing Bella's fear that they were going to lose him if they didn't do something drastic. The paramedic in the back with them, helped steady Bella. She settled back over the man's legs and increased the pressure on the wound once again. He was deathly pale, no sounds coming from him anymore. His breathing was very shallow and slow. "I think we should start CPR, but first I want you to get me a number eight endotracheal tube, a laryngoscope, a blade and keep the ventilation bag close by."

The paramedic opened a drawer and pulled out a wrapped plastic tube and a thick silver device. "Blade size?" He asked as he placed the selected items on the man's stomach.

"Number three, please." Bella responded.

As he handed her a curved silver blade, Bella asked the him to take over from her so she could intubate the man. She snapped the blade onto the thick silver laryngoscope and opened the plastic wrapping of the tube. She moved to stand above the patient's head, hooked the long blade into the his mouth, lifting his jaw, while she pushed the tube carefully down his throat. "There", she said and grabbed the tape that the paramedic had set out next to the man's head.

Bella twisted a long piece of tape around the tube twice and fastened the remaining pieces of the tape against the side of the man's one cheek. She connected the bagging device to the top of the tube and squeezed the bag twice, slowly. She felt for a pulse, struggling now to find anything. "His pulse is very weak."

Wordlessly, Bella and the paramedic now switched places again, so that he could start compressions. Bella pushed down hard against the wound while still squeezing the bag every now and then, listening to the paramedic count out the number of compressions as he pumped the man's heart for him.

"Not much better." He said to her, two fingers against the man's jugular.

"God, I hope we're not going to be too late." Bella prayed and the two of them continued with another round of CPR.

The ambulance came to a sudden halt and the back doors flung open soon after, the driver of the ambulance coming into view.

She was still on top of the gurney with the man, keeping pressure on the wound as they were wheeled into the Emergency Room by the two ambulance men.

Bella's eyes were focused on man's leg. Her heart raced. There was so much blood. She honestly didn't know if they would be able to save him.

"What happened?" A strong male voice asked and one of the paramedics started to explain what he knew. Which wasn't much.

"I found him like this in front of the clinic. He wasn't able to tell me anything. I tried to apply as much pressure as I could, but the bleeding didn't stop. We've already done two rounds of CPR. Don't think it helped much." Bella said and looked up to the source of the voice. Her eyes locked with a pair of familiar golden brown eyes. Eyes that she knew only too well. Her heart stuttered and butterflies were rampaging in her stomach.

* * *

PPOV

Paul heard the brunette woman, in a blood stained white doctor's coat, tell him that she had no idea who the man was or what happened. Paul's heart stopped. He knew this voice. It was the voice of the woman he still loved. A voice that he'd never forget. She looked up into his eyes, with large, worried chocolate brown orbs, and gasped.

"Bella?" he asked. Suddenly he felt a shift inside of himself. He was now completely drawn to this tiny dark haired woman from his past, as he felt her become the center of his world. The concept of gravity now taking on a completely different meaning. Paul snapped himself out of it and focused on the patient.

"Book the theater now!" Paul barked an order to the receptionist as he surveyed the damage of the man lying under Bella on the gurney. Bella lifted the soggy pile of gauze slightly, only for more blood to splurt out. "Jesus. This is bad!"

His stellar E.R. team were already continuing with CPR as he and Bella exchanged worried words. Paul took a fresh pile of gauze from one of the nurses standing next to him and replaced the soaking ones. Bella sat back as Paul took over, flexing her arms, as if trying to get feeling back in them. She carefully climbed down from the gurney, swinging an extremely thin leg off of the man. He couldn't remember Bella ever being this thin.

"Wait here. I'll be back soon." He said to her, while the gurney was being pushed out of the swinging double doors, toward a theater.

Paul focused his attention on the two men now hurriedly pushing the gurney down the passage. He guided them toward the theater complex every now and then when they needed to make a turn, worrying about the man lying under him. Were they going to be able to save him in time?

Doctor Hudson greeted them at the doors to the theater and Paul relayed what he new to the head of general surgery.

"Thank you Dr. Lahote." The older man with dark grey hair and sharp blue eyes said as he and his team took the patient off of Paul's hands.

He sighed, pulling off the bloody gloves and discarding them into a bin, lined with a red plastic bag. He walked back to the E.R. in silence, the paramedics following on his heels. Why did he ask Bella to wait? What was he going to say to her? God, he'd just imprinted on her. He should be elated. But he wasn't. They were broken up. She didn't want him. She'd said so all those years ago.

Paul stopped short, just as he re-entered through the double doors. Bella was busy trying to scrub the blood off of her thin arms, her loose hair tumbling over her shoulders. She looked up as she heard him enter, their eyes connecting. He felt his heart beat speed up at the look she was giving him. It wasn't the look you usually gave an ex. She looked pleased to see him. Happy even. He swallowed thickly and walked over to her.

"You look like you could use a shower. And some clean clothes."

She laughed that beautiful laugh of hers. For him. He smiled back.

"You have no idea. My clothes are soaked."

He motioned for Bella to follow him, leading her to a rack where navy scrubs were stacked neatly. He fished out the smallest pair he could find and handed them to Bella. "There is a shower in the on call room that you can use. You'll find towels and soap there, as well."

"Thanks," She took the clothes from him, her fingers grazing his, the heat of their skin making contact, causing both of them frown.

"It's just down this passage and to the right." He motioned to his left.

With one quick glance over her shoulder, she disappeared from his view.

"Pull it together, you fucker." Paul said under his breath.

* * *

BPOV

Bella returned to a chaotic emergency room. Fourteen beds had been filled in the short ten minutes that she'd been gone. "What the hell happened?"

"Pile-up." Paul explained, looking a little overwhelmed.

"Do you need me to stay?" She asked.

"No, you've got work in the morning." He said, but looked like he meant just the opposite.

She was not going to leave Paul on his own to sort through this chaos. She would stay and help. "I've survived with minimal sleep for years, Paul. I'll be fine." She smiled reassuringly at him. "Promise."

"Okay, then." He said. "Listen up, everyone." All the staff stopped what they were doing, eyes trained on their doctor. "This is Dr. Bella Swan. She's a good friend of mine. Be good to her. Things are going to be a little crazy, so I want us to divide and conquer. Ellen, you're with me and Lucy, you're with Dr. Swan. I want you to assist her and help her find whatever she needs to do her job. Remember, she doesn't know this E.R."

"Yes, doctor." The older nurse, called Lucy, said and handed Bella a chart, a welcome smile on heart shaped her face.

Bella's first patient had a possible concussion and needed stitches. There was a large cut on his left arm and a smaller cut on his head, bleeding quite a bit. Bella handed the patient a few pieces of gauze to apply pressure to his bleeding arm, while she started on his head wound.

"Lidocaine, please." Bella asked after she had gloved up. Lucy held out a bowl of pink liquid, a couple of vials of lidocaine submerged in it. Bella took out one vial, placed it in the dental syringe and started to numb the area around the patient's head wound.

"Nylon five-oh, please." Bella asked for the sutures. "And how about some music?"

"Yes, of course, doctor." Lucy answered a little surprised.

Bella focused better when she listened to music while she worked and smiled as a familiar song started to play from Lucy's phone. The two of them worked silently and Bella soon realized that Lucy was very good at anticipating her every move. She didn't even ask for anything anymore, because each time Bella looked up, needing something, Lucy had it ready for her. Lucy obviously had a lot of experience.

"Wow. Nice work." Paul said as he popped his head in from behind the curtain. "Bet it won't even leave a scar."

Bella smiled at his approval, but shook her head as he left. What the hell. She didn't need his approval. She new how to do her job. He didn't need to assess her work.

The night passed by very quickly, both of them working quietly. Not saying much.

One of Bella's patients were sent to surgery due to an open fracture, the rest were discharged with minor injuries. The patient with the concussion that she'd stitched up earlier, was kept in the emergency room for overnight observation.

Bella and Paul settled in behind the desk, both with a stack of paperwork waiting. Bella took a sip from her steaming cup of coffee, and pulled on a jacket, shivering slightly.

PPOV

Finally some peace and quiet came over the emergency room. It had been a hectic night. The clock read ten past two in the morning and Paul's stomach grumbled. The nurses had both decided to have a bite to eat in the break room. Paul supposed it was a good idea to get Bella and himself something to eat. He was almost certain that Bella hadn't eaten for a while. Maybe not even at all.

Paul returned with two protein bars in hand. He settled back into his chair and handed Bella one of the bars. "Here. You need to eat something."

"Thanks." Bella replied gratefully. "I'm famished."

"I can see that." He said, surveying her thin body.

"Oh, please." She rolled her eyes and took a deliberate bite of the bar. "Happy?"

"A little." Paul conceded.

For a while, they busied themselves with the paperwork, a comfortable silence fell between them.

"So, how was Cali? Did you enjoy it there?" He asked her. He was curious to know if her life had turned out the way she'd always dreamed.

"It was good. Busy. I learned a lot."

"So why did you come back then?"

"Honestly? I missed home. I missed my family a lot and I guess I just realized what I gave up in the process of becoming what I'd always dreamed of."

"And any meaningful relationships?" He asked.

When Bella didn't reply immediately, he started to worry that he was getting a little too personal. "I don't mean to be nosy. It just feels like I don't know anything about you anymore and I'm just trying to get to know you again."

"It's fine," Bella smiled warmly. "I guess I don't know anything about you anymore, either." She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, to answer your question, no. There hasn't been any relationships at all. It was all just sex. I suppose I gave my heart away, a long time ago."

Paul wondered what Bella meant by that. Was it him she was referring to? He decided to go with an slightly ambiguous answer. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

"I heard from Leah that you're in a relationship, now." Bella said, seeming curious. "I'm happy for you."

"Bella, I-" Paul begun, but she held up her hands to defend her previous statement. "You don't have to explain, Paul. It wasn't as if I thought you'd stay single for ever. Besides, I want you to be happy. I've always wanted that for you."

"Thanks." He said, for lack of knowing how to respond to what Bella had said.

"You seemed to have fared a lot better than I did. I mean, look at me. All I got out of my dream life in the end was money. And money sure as hell doesn't keep you warm at night."

"Neither does a bad relationship."

"Meaning?"

"Never mind."

"No, tell me?" Bella encouraged.

Paul sighed and tried to think of a way to explain himself, without sounding like a complete douche bag.

"Grace is a difficult person to live with. We've been together for about two years now. I'm not saying I'm completely innocent in all of this, but we fight a lot. I suppose I'm part of the problem. I work a lot. And when I'm not at work, I spend a lot of time with my friends and my parents. The fact that they all dislike Grace, makes it difficult. They only tolerate her because of me. Especially my mother. I guess she's always been your biggest fan. Which is kind of unfair, because she seems to compare her to you."

Biggest fan was putting it mildly. His mother had adored Bella from the first time they met. Paul still remembered how genuinely heartbroken his mother was when he'd told her about their break-up.

 **A/N: So? What did you think? Reviews are very welcome.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hi guys. Sorry I took so long with the update. My summer vacation has started and I'm visiting friends and family. I promise I'll update as much as I can. Thanks for your continued reviews. Love you guys. xxx**

 **Chapter 6 -friends**

 **BPOV**

Paul was hell-bent on force feeding Bella and had talked her into getting breakfast with him before she had to go to work this morning. They avoided having personal conversations and rather stuck to safer topics, like work and friends and Bella was pleased to discover that they fell back into almost the same kind of friendship they'd had before they started dating years ago.

Paul dropped Bella off at her house afterward. Their goodbye was a little awkward - neither of them sure if they should hug or not. They'd mutually made an unspoken decision to forego any physical contact, unsure of where they stood with each other. Their shared past complicated things a little.

Bella closed the front door and leaned back against it, sighing in frustration. She rubbed her tired eyes and pushed herself back up. She needed to get ready. There would be time later to over-analyze everything Paul had said.

Bella showered quickly and headed to her bedroom, rummaging in her closet for something decent to wear. She pulled out grey pencil skirt and a white blouse, slipping on some opaque stockings to try and combat the cold weather. She chose a pair of grey suede pumps to match her outfit and gave herself a quick once over in the mirror before heading for the door.

Luckily, Bella's day was quite uneventful. Which created the problem of staying awake. Her eyes felt heavy and burned like hell itself. In an attempt to keep her eyes open, she decided to get up and make herself some coffee.

"Jesus!" Bella yelped when a handsome looking Paul appeared next to her. He was dressed in black, hair still a little wet from a recent shower. Bella's poor heart stuttered and stopped at the sight of him. What had possessed her to ever give up this beautiful man?

"Hi." He greeted her, his lips turning up into his signature grin - one that was delicious enough turn on any woman in two seconds flat. "I came bearing gifts." He said and handed her a brown paper bag and a steaming cup of coffee.

"You're a real life saver. You know that, right?" Bella said and opened the bag curiously, spying two large croissants. "Mmm, freshly baked." She sniffed and smiled in appreciation. "You know you don't have to feed me, right. I promise I'm not skipping meals on purpose."

"That's exactly why I'm feeding you. I still remember how that beautiful brain of yours works. Once you start getting busy, you forget about food completely. And apparently you've been way too busy."

Did he just say that she had a beautiful brain?

"Emily invited you to movie night."

"When?"

"Tonight. At seven."

"Great. Tell her I'll be there. Though, I make no promises to stay awake."

Paul laughed. "Noted. So, my mother also asked to see you, and if you're up to it, I can pick you up around six and stop by my parents house before going to Emily's. Just a quick coffee is all my mother wants."

"What will Grace say about me going with you to _her_ future in-laws?"

"She's not coming. As usual." He said irritatedly.

"Oh." Bella tried not to smile at the news. She hadn't even met Grace, but she already didn't like her. She supposed, though, that if Paul liked her, there must be some redeeming quality that she didn't know about.

"So? Is that a yes?" Paul watched her from over his coffee cup.

"Yes." She smiled. "It would be nice to see your mother again."

Paul rummaged in the paper bag and pulled out a croissant, taking a big bite. "Eat," he said with a full mouth and motioned with his hand toward the bag.

"So bossy." She smiled. Not much about him had changed.

* * *

 **BPOV**

Bella changed into a pair of faded blue skinny jeans and a soft cerulean sweater, slipping on a matching pair of ballet flats. She braided her hair and just finished applying some light make-up when there was a knock at the door.

"Coming!" Bella called as she grabbed her purse and house keys from the kitchen counter and hurried to the front door.

"Hi." Paul greeted her with a smile. "You look very pretty."

"Thanks." Bella blushed.

"Ready to go?"

"Yes." She said and grabbed her dark grey duffel coat and scarf from the coat hanger next to the door.

On her way down the steps toward Paul's truck, Bella shrugged on her coat and haphazardly wrapped the scarf around her neck.

"Is it completely ridiculous of me to be nervous about seeing your parents again?" She asked as she fastened her seat belt.

"Why would you be nervous?" He frowned.

"I don't know. But I am. Guess I'm scared of how your mother will react when she sees me again."

"You know how much my mother loves you, Bella. Just relax. It'll be fine, I promise." He lifted his hand like he wanted to comfort her, but pulled it back at the last moment, like he thought better of it.

"So, how did Grace react to you picking me up, tonight? I really don't want to cause problems for the two of you."

"I didn't tell her."

"Why?"

"Because Grace has a way of overreacting about everything." He explained.

"I see." Bella gave a curt nod.

"Can we maybe not talk about her?"

"Sorry," Bella said. She pondered the fact that Paul spoke about Grace as if she were an evil stepsister. Not a girlfriend that he loved very much.

"Oooh, I love this song!" Bella squealed in delight, turning up the volume. She started to sing along to the words of 'Run to the water' by a band called Live. She grinned at Paul, who joined in, singing with her. It used to be one of _their_ songs, way back when.

Bella pouted when the song came to an end. She loved the memories that were connected to this song. It was the song that played the night they made love for the first time - on the back of Paul's old pick-up, under the stars.

She chanced a glance up at Paul, only to find a frown marring his handsome face.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Bella asked.

"Nothing. Just a lot of memories attached to that song."

"Yeah, I suppose so." She gave Paul a despondent smile. "Our first time."

"That's definitely on my list of top three best things to ever happen to me." He informed her.

"What are the other two?"

Paul hesitated for a couple of seconds, almost like he didn't want to answer her. "The night you agreed to be my girlfriend and when you said you loved me for the first time."

Bella didn't say anything. Her heart ached. She had lost this beautiful man, all because she didn't have her priorities straight and because she was a fucking scared little coward.

* * *

 **BPOV**

"Oh my god, Bella!" Paul's mother exclaimed and wrapped her lean arms around Bella. "It's so good to see you again, sweetheart."

"I missed you, Mrs. Lahote." She smiled against the older woman's shoulder.

"How have you been?" Paul's father asked, ushering her into the house. It looked just like she remembered it. The only difference was a couple of new photographs that had been placed on top of the fire place, next to the old one's.

Bella drifted toward the pictures, curiously looking at them like she was seeing them for the first time. She noticed that there weren't any of Paul and Grace. Weird. There were quite a few pictures of her and Paul though, making Bella swallow thickly. She wondered how hard it must have been for Paul to see these pictures over and over after their break-up, when he came to visit his parents. One picture in particular caught her eye. Paul's arm was slung around Bella's shoulder and they were both laughing - facing each other. It was a picture from a camping trip they'd taken with Paul's parents. His father had snapped the shot when they weren't looking. They looked really happy and very much in love.

"Awww. That was a fun trip." Paul's mother said as she came to stand next to Bella, also admiring the picture.

"Good times." Bella spoke softly, feeling Paul's eyes on her.

She turned around to Paul, and sure enough, his eyes were trained on her, watching her with narrowed eyes.

* * *

 **BPOV**

"I always thought that the two of you would be married with kids by now." Mrs. Lahote said as Bella helped her make coffee.

"Still two sugars for you and Mr. Lahote?"Bella asked, avoiding the older woman's eyes.

She nodded. "And I had imagined you calling me 'mom' by now."

"You're making Bella uncomfortable, mother." Paul called from the living room. How he'd heard their conversation from that distance was beyond Bella.

A blush settled in bright red against her cheeks. "Me too," She whispered. "It's something I'll regret for the rest of my life."

"So, tell me Bella. Who's the lucky man in your life right now?" She knew Paul's mother was fishing for details, but she didn't mind.

"Nobody at the moment." Bella said awkwardly. "I haven't really dated since things ended between Paul and I." Not waiting for a response from Paul's mother, Bella continued, "You must be so excited about the possibility of someday calling Grace your daughter-in-law, though?"

"You're kidding, right?" Mrs. Lahote grimaced. "I'd rather die a thousand deaths than have her as part of this family. I suppose I'll keep rooting for you and Paul to get back together until the day I take my last breath."

"Why are you still so kind to me?" Bella sighed. "Especially after the way things ended between me and your son?" Bella picked up two mugs of coffee, about to head to the living room.

"Because I love you like a daughter. And because I know that there's more to the break-up than you let on."

Bella froze for a second at Mrs. Lahote's keen assessment. Was it possible for Paul's mother to know about the baby Bella had lost? 'No.' She decided. Leah would never tell anyone. She had promised Bella and besides, Leah always kept her word. Always.

"I've lost the right to be your daughter a long time ago." Bella shook her head. She didn't deserve the kindness Paul's mother was showering her with.

"Nothing will ever change how much I love you, sweetheart." Mrs. Lahote vowed and gave Bella an endearing smile.

* * *

 **BPOV**

"Thank you so much for the coffee, Mrs. Lahote. It was so good to see you and Mr. Lahote again." Bella greeted Paul's parents as they walked Paul and her to his big, black Dodge Ram.

"My pleasure, Bella. And please don't be a stranger?" Paul's mother insisted.

"Promise." Bella said and hugged them each in turn.

"Oh, and Bella?" Mrs. Lahote spoke as Bella was about to get into the vehicle. "Try to eat something. You're way too thin."

Bella laughed and rolled her eyes at the random comment. "Why does everyone say that?"

"Because it's true." Paul spoke from behind her, helping her into the truck. "We're just a little concerned."

* * *

 **BPOV**

Bella was sitting ramrod straight on a pillow in front of the television, next to Paul. They were watching a comedy that Bella couldn't, for the life of her, focus on. She was super-aware of Paul sitting next to her, close enough that when one of them moved slightly, their bodies touched, sending sparks of electricity through Bella. Every brush of an arm or movement from Paul had her hyper-alert brain reeling. Her skin tingled and she felt like she was going crazy.

She had been welcomed back by everyone with open arms when she'd arrived with Paul this evening. It didn't feel like years had passed as she spoke to everyone. It seemed as if the friendships she had formed with all of them, had just taken off where they'd left it. No one seemed angry at Bella for breaking up with Paul.

Bella took a sip of red wine from her glass, trying to calm her emotions. It wasn't working. She was so god damned tired, but her mind was on overload, keeping her very much awake.

When the movie finally ended, Bella let out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding. She pushed herself up from the floor, her body stiff and sore from the tension and the position she'd been sitting in for the past hour and a half.

"I'm beat." Bella said softly to Paul. "Would you mind taking me home?"

"Yeah, no problem." He said, swallowing the last of his beer and discarding the empty bottle into the kitchen bin.

Bella followed suit and downed the rest of her red wine, rinsing the wine glass in the sink.

They greeted their friends and headed out to Paul's truck. Bella rubbed her hands together and cupped them, blowing her warm breath against them, in an attempt to get some much needed heat into them as the frigid night air bit into her skin. She waved goodbye as Paul pulled away from Sam and Emily's house.

An uncomfortable, tension-filled silence settled between them inside the truck. Bella wondered if Paul had felt the same sensations she did during the evening and stole a glance at Paul. He sat up straight in his seat, gripping the steering wheel with white knuckles. He wore a frown, eyes trained on the road, refusing to look at her.

Bella turned away with a sigh and looked out of the window, into the dark night. What the fuck was going on between them?

* * *

 **PPOV**

There was a strange electricity pulsing between the two of them. The same kind that he'd experienced all throughout the movie, tonight. He wasn't sure what to do about it. On the one hand, he wanted to risk his heart and make a move on Bella. But on the other hand, he wanted to avoid her. There was just so many things that still needed to be said and done.

He watched Bella from his periphery, wondering what was going through her mind right now. Things between them felt just like it had when they'd fallen in love for the first time, except for the painful events of the past that were now haunting him and the imprint constantly pulling him to her. He supposed that he should tell her about it, soon. Now was just not the right time. The issue of Grace still hung over his head.

He wondered how Bella would react to the news of werewolves and vampires? It was a very fucked up version of fairy tales and nightmares and his mind he couldn't see Bella believing him. Who in their right mind would?

There was another big problem regarding the imprint. He didn't want Bella to feel obligated or trapped by something that was out of her control. And Paul sure as hell didn't want Bella to be with him out of obligation. No. He wanted her to _want_ to be with him willingly. That was why he didn't feel ready to tell her about it just yet.

Paul brought the black SUV to a stop in front of Bella's house, idly wondering what it looked like inside. He got out, rounding the truck to open the door for Bella. She was very quiet, looking deep in thought.

"You okay?" He asked as they reached the front door. Bella fished for her keys, struggling to find it. "Here, let me help." Paul reached his hand into her purse, swiftly pulling out a small bundle of keys and unlocked the door for her.

"I'm fine." She answered, looking down - avoiding eye contact.

Paul tipped her chin up toward his eyes, forcing her to look at him. Bella look confused and sad and Paul couldn't think of a reason for it. In that moment, he felt a deep need to make her forget about everything that was bothering her. To wipe that sad look from her face. So he did the only thing he could think of. He kissed her.

Bella didn't respond at first, making Paul pull back to look at her. She looked up at him, eyes searching his face. For something? He didn't know what? But apparently she found what she was looking for, because she pulled his lips back to hers, kissing him with fervor.

Paul pulled her body closer against him, moaning at the contact. He had missed this so much - missed her. He pushed the door open with his foot and pulled Bella into the house with him, shutting the door with a free hand, while the other explored the curves of her body, trying to commit it to memory.

Bella tugged at his bottom lip with her teeth as he slipped his hand under her sweater and grazed a finger over her hardened, lace covered nipple. Bella's hands ventured up under his shirt, exploring the expanse of his muscled abdomen. His erection was straining severely against his jeans, needing to be freed from it's confinement.

Bella lifted Paul's shirt over his head and dropped it to the floor, at his feet. His heart pounded in his chest, and blood rushed to his brain, making him feel almost dizzy with need. Paul followed suit, removing Bella's sweater and throwing it on top of his shirt.

Paul and Bella stumbled down the hall toward her bedroom, lips still locked in a fierce embrace and hands searching - exploring.

Paul's hands reached behind Bella's back, searching for the clasp of her bra. He found it and unclasped her bra with expert fingers (he'd done this countless times with her) and discarded it somewhere in the corner of the room, while his lips nipped and sucked at her neck. She moaned and bucked her hips against him, undoing the zipper on his pants. He smiled against her skin - she wanted this just as badly as he did.

Paul kicked off his pants, his cock now pressing against Bella's stomach. She took his considerable length into her hand and began to stroke it while he tried his best to pull her down her pants - and succeeded. Bella absently lifted her legs to rid herself of the unwelcome piece of clothing, never stopping her torturous movements of teasing his hard cock.

"Ah, God yes." He moaned as she picked up speed, working his cock like a professional. He trailed his hand slowly down to her core and stroked her slick folds with his fingers. Bella gasped at the contact, letting go of his length and throwing her head back in a strangled cry of pleasure.

Paul guided them back to the bed, pushing gently against Bella, so that she fell back onto the bed, hair fanned out over the duvet cover. 'God, she's beautiful.' He thought as he inched closer toward her, like a predator stalking his prey, and climbed on top of her. Bella slowly parted her legs in a silent plea to be filled by Paul. He hesitated for a second, still busy admiring the sight of her panting body, soaking the material underneath her - so ready for him. He slid into her with one big thrust, groaning as he stretched her tight, hot walls. "Jesus Christ."

"Please, don't stop." Bella whined and bucked her hips up toward him.

He pulled out of her completely and thrust back into her hard, making her cry out. Bella grabbed onto his biceps, her nails digging into his skin.

He did it three more times, while rubbing circles over her clit and was rewarded with Bella tightening impossibly around him, writhing as her first orgasm consumed her. "Yes, Paul. Ah, fuck!" She moaned as she moved her hips in sync with his.

Paul tried to go slow, but a fire burned red hot in his belly, making him lose all of his control. He bit down on his lip and started to thrust relentlessly into her wetness. His lips once again found Bella's milky skin, sucking hard at the flesh in the crook of her neck. He was so close now to finding his own release and trailed his one hand down to Bella's breasts, kneading each of them in turn, eliciting pleasured moans from Bella's pouting lips. Her body trembled underneath him, obviously close to the edge, once again. His lips moved over her flushed skin, placing hot, open mouthed kisses all the way down to his target, her hard, pink nipples and leaving a trail of goosebumps in it's wake. He bit down gently on one of them, effectively sending Bella flying over the edge and eagerly followed her, spiraling down into an abyss of overwhelming pleasure as his potent seed spilled deep into his imprint's core.

Bella's head rested on his chest, as they lay panting. Paul felt himself drifting away, sighing contently, his mind never once drifting to Grace. The last thing he remembered was Bella snuggling closer to him.

* * *

 **BPOV**

Bella awoke on Saturday morning as the sun shone into her eyes through the open curtains of her bedroom. A heavy arm was slung over her naked body, cupping one of her breasts in a large, russet hand. Bella gasped, bolting up right in shock and looked over at Paul's sleeping form. What the fuck had she done? When did she become this girl - sleeping with another woman's boyfriend? The thought made her sick to her stomach. She was a terrible person. And to top it all off, they hadn't used any protection last night. Luckily Bella knew that the older you got, the harder it was to fall pregnant. She wasn't too concerned about it. She would just have to start using some form of contraception like she had in the past, to avoid these types of situations in the future. Not that she was planning on sleeping with Paul again. He was taken and she wasn't going to make the same mistake again.

Bella got up from the bed slowly, trying not to wake Paul. She needed to use the toilet really bad, so she scooped up her pants and headed for bathroom, intending to find her sweater as soon as she'd relieved her bladder.

Bella winced as she flushed the toilet, afraid of waking Paul. She needed to get some caffeine into her system so she could think of what to say to him when he woke up. She headed for the living room, but let out a yelp as Paul startled her, waiting outside of the bathroom for her. He held out her sweater to her, dangling from his finger. Bella grabbed her sweater and cupped her breasts with her other hand, rushing back to the bedroom to get dressed.

Bella heard the clinking of coffee mugs as she emerged, fully clothed, from her bedroom. She headed down the passage to the large kitchen, where Paul's huge, muscled body leaned over the kettle, steadying himself against the counter with both arms. The muscles under the skin of his back rippled and it was only now that Bella noticed the large, round tribal tattoo on Paul's right bicep. She swallowed thickly as arousal started to pool in her nether regions. 'Head out of the gutter, Bella. Focus.' She chastised herself mentally.

"Morning," Paul greeted and turned away from the kettle. His expression was impassive. She supposed that he'd also realized how much they fucked up by sleeping together last night.

"Hi." She replied, securing a stoic look onto her face.

"I don't mean to sound like an asshole, but I'm really sorry about what happened last night. I shouldn't have done what I did. I mean, I'm in a relationship, for god sake and I'm not the type of guy that makes a habit out of cheating on his girlfriend, just so you know. I swear this has never happened before."

"And I'm not the type of girl who fucks another woman's man." Bella agreed, seeing Paul flinch at her crass referral to what happened last night. "I should have stopped you as soon as we started kissing, so I guess I'm equally to blame."

Paul handed Bella a steaming cup of coffee, settling himself into a chair at the breakfast bar. "Just let me get my caffeine fix, then I'll be out of your hair."

Bella nodded and took a seat next to him. "So, are you going to tell Grace?"

"About last night? You're kidding, right? She'd castrate me and use my balls for a Christmas tree decoration."

"Right." Bella acknowledged with a single nod. "Although, can you blame her?"

"I suppose not."

 **A/N: Hope you liked it. Please review.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hi guys. You're reviews are amazing. You inspire me. Just a shout out to sarahmicaela88 for helping me with my jumbled thoughts and ideas for this story. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I know some of you have been waiting for this to happen for a while now. Love you guys. And as always, please review. xxx**

 **Chapter 7 - Severing ties**

 **PPOV**

Paul had already made up his mind as he entered his house, to find a furious Grace stewing on the couch in the living room. She was still dressed in her robe, obviously waiting for him. He was going to end things with her today. Right now, in fact. Not because of Bella, but because he couldn't face coming home to Grace for even one more day.

"WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU LAST NIGHT? HUH?" Grace shouted, jumping up and grabbing a glass vase filled with fresh pink roses, flinging it full force toward Paul's head. He caught it with ease, thanks to his lightning fast reflexes, avoiding what would have been one painful headache, and calmly put the vase back in it's place.

"I slept at Jared's last night." He said in a cold voice. She probably knew he was lying, but what did it matter now, anyway?

"And you couldn't spare a minute to call you're girlfriend, who was -"

"Let me stop you right there." He said, holding up a hand, not in the mood for a fight.

Grace cocked her head to one side and lifted a brow, waiting for Paul to speak. Her long red hair fell to the side and her blue eyes observed him skeptically.

Paul sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "I can't do this anymore, Grace. I'm done. We're done."

"What do you mean, done?" She asked in a small voice.

"I don't want to hurt you. But I'm just not in love with you anymore."

Grace smiled sadly at Paul. "I'm not sure you ever were."

Paul nodded his head, agreeing silently.

"I think we hurt each other more than was necessary by staying in this relationship as long as we did." She said.

It was strange to have a normal conversation with Grace, without the fighting and screaming. "And honestly, I think we've both known this day was coming for a while now. I guess I just kept hanging on, because I still love you."

"I never meant to hurt you, Grace. I really didn't. I guess I gave my heart away a long time ago and I never got it back. It was unfair of me to keep you in this relationship as long as I did, knowing we never stood a chance." He explained. Bella had been holding his heart for all these years. She always would.

"Just give me the rest of the day to pack my things. Then I'll be out of your hair."

"No need to rush. I'll be at my parent's house if you need to reach me today."

She nodded. "I'll leave the keys under the welcome mat."

"Good bye, Grace." He said and pulled her in for a last hug, before heading out the front door.

* * *

Paul sat on a lawn chair in the back yard, leaning back, eyes closed as the sun shone on his face. His father was busy grilling up some steaks, while his mother chatted excitedly about a quilting project she'd recently started.

"I broke up with Grace, today." Paul interrupted his mother, eyes still closed.

"What was that?" His mother asked, apparently not having heard what he'd said. Or possibly making sure that she had, in fact, heard correctly. He wasn't sure which one it was.

"I said," Paul spoke more clearly, opening his eyes and sitting up in the plastic lawn chair, "I broke up with Grace."

"I'm not sure how you need me to react right now." His mother said honestly.

"I _need_ you to react the way that _you_ want to, Mom." He sighed. He wanted her to be honest with him, though he had a pretty good idea of what her reaction would be.

A huge grin spread over his mother's face. She was obviously elated, but just as quickly as the smile had come, it was gone again. "I'm sorry honey. I don't mean to make you feel bad, but you know I was never fond of that girl."

"That's the understatement of the year." Paul's father chipped in.

"Oh hush. I was never mean to her." His mother defended and flipped her raven hair over her shoulder in annoyance.

"Not to her face, no." Paul pointed out.

Paul's father nodded, "True." He chuckled.

"So, does this mean that you and Bella are getting back together again?" His mother looked hopeful.

"Jesus, Mom. I just broke up with Grace an hour ago." Why were his friends and family so hell bent on getting them back together?

"I know." His mother apologized, trying and failing to look even remotely sorry.

"There's something else that you should know." Paul said, looking between his parents. "I've imprinted on Bella."

Paul cringed as his mother squealed loudly in delight, getting up to do a happy dance. "I knew it!" She exclaimed. "I knew the two of you were meant for each other."

"She doesn't feel the same, though." He shook his head.

"Have you told her about the imprint?" His father asked, flipping over a piece of steak.

"I haven't, no." He shook his head.

"Well, then how could you know for sure?" His old man lifted a questioning brow.

"I just do, Dad." He sighed and scrubbed his face in frustration. Her reaction this morning was evidence enough.

"I disagree." His mother said. "From what Bella told me last night, it sounds like she very much regrets breaking up with you. For choosing her career over you."

* * *

 **BPOV**

"Are we still on for dinner, tonight?" Bella asked her mother over the phone.

"We sure are. Though, I was thinking that you could invite your friends over, as well. I haven't seen them in a very long time."

"Yeah, okay." Bella said. "That would be fun."

"Great. Then we'll see you later, baby."

"Bye, mom." Bella said and ended the call. She fell back onto one of the couches in her living room, and began to type out an dinner invitation on her phone, sending it to all of her friends, before dialing Leah's number. It rang twice before her friend's chipper voice greeted her.

"Hi, B."

"Hey, friend." Bella said sweetly.

"What do you want?" Leah asked suspiciously. Apparently she could tell when Bella wanted to ask for a favor.

"I need your help. I'm inviting the whole gang for dinner at my house tonight. My parents will be there and they really want to see everyone again."

"What am I supposed to be helping with, then?" Leah wondered.

"The cooking." Bella chewed on her lip in an attempt not to laugh. Leah didn't like to cook, despite being really good at it.

"Fine, Swan. But you owe me."

"I know." Bella said. "And there's something I need to tell you."

"I'm listening." Leah encouraged.

"Nope. I'll tell you later, when you come over."

"Fuck later! I'm coming over right now." She should have known that Leah wouldn't be able to resist a juicy piece of information. She chuckled.

The phone beeped, and went dead.

"Okay, then." Bella said, pulling the phone from her face to stare at it in surprise. "Goodbye to you too."

It was't five minutes since Leah had abruptly ended the call, that she walked into Bella's house without knocking.

"Tell me..." Leah demanded, sitting down at the breakfast bar.

"Tell you what?" Bella played dumb.

"Don't fuck with me, Swan." Leah warned, so very curious. She gave Bella a piercing stare. If Bella didn't know what a big softy Leah actually was, she would have cowered under that stare of hers.

"Fine." Bella sighed exasperatedly, "I'll tell you. But no judging, okay. I already feel shit about it."

"Get to it, then." Leah encouraged a little impatiently.

"I slept with Paul." Bella blurted out, hiding her face in her hands.

"Yes, I know. You've told me so, on many occasions and in perfect detail."

"Don't be daft, Lee. I meant, I slept with him last night."

"WHAT?" Leah all but shouted. Her lips twisted up into a surprised smile. Her eyes were wide.

"Don't be mad at me, please? I didn't mean to. And you know I'm not the type to steal another woman's man. It just happened. Neither of us planned it. One moment we were still talking and the next we were kissing and I lost all rational thought."

"I'm not mad, B. Why would I be? It's about time the two of you sorted out your shit. We were all waiting for it to happen."

"We're not together. Paul has a girlfriend."

"Not anymore." Leah offered up.

"No, he definitely still does. We talked about it this morning."

"Well, Jared said that Paul had broken up with Grace this morning. So I guess he's a free agent now. The two of you can fuck as much as you want without feeling guilty."

"It's not like that, Lee. It's not just about the sex." Bella shook her head.

"Then tell me what's going on in that pretty little head of yours."

"I don't know how to explain it, but it's like I'm drawn to him. I feel like gravity is pulling me towards him and I can't control it. I'm not sure I want to control it. Do you know what I mean?"

And for the first time, Bella witnessed Leah telling a lie to her face. She could see it in her eyes. She was hiding something. It stung like a bitch as she said, "I have no idea what you mean, crazy girl." A look of guilt seeped onto Leah's face.

Bella could see how Leah tried to cover up her lie with a teasing smile. She shook her head at Leah in disappointment, got up from the couch and walked to the kitchen.

"What?" She asked Bella.

"Nothing." Bella sighed.

"Talk to me, B." Leah said, sounding worried.

"You know what really sucks?" Bella flung herself around, pointing a finger accusingly at Leah. "My best friend just lied to me for the first time. To my face!" She yelled at Leah.

"Okay, fine. I did and I'm sorry, but you just need to trust me when I tell you that you will find out soon enough. I can't tell you. I literally can't."

Bella was still glaring at her friend, her chest heaving as she panted angrily. She was really mad at her, but when Bella saw the look of pure desperation on Leah's face, her anger seemed to dissipate.

"Don't ever fucking lie to me again!" She warned, pointing a sharp finger at Leah and stalked off toward the liquor cabinet. She pulled out the familiar brand of tequila that they had both come to love.

Around five that afternoon, Bella and Leah had started on a large pot of chili. Bella was still a little tipsy from the tequila she'd had earlier that day. Leah was busy stirring the pot while Bella was busy rolling out the dough to make flat breads to accompany the chili.

"Did you invite Paul as well?" Leah asked over her shoulder toward Bella.

"Yeah, I did. My mother would kill me if I didn't. I think she misses him. My father too. They were very fond of Paul."

"I remember." Leah smiled sadly.

"Do you know what Paul's mother told me last night?" Bella asked, placing the flat breads onto the grid of the mini grill.

"Wait! Back up just a minute. When did you see his mother?"

"Paul took me to see his parents before we came over to Sam and Emily's last night. He'd said his mother really wanted to see me."

"Okay. I've got it now. So you were saying?"

"Paul's mother told me that she had thought we would be married by now, with children."

"Can you blame her, though? Everyone thought so. I wish you could have seen yourselves as we did. You were such an incredibly perfect couple. Not in the sickeningly sweet sense. The way you looked at each other. The way you gravitated around each other, so perfectly in sync. Like you knew each other inside out. And you were always so happy. I don't think I've ever seen you fight."

"We didn't fight, ever. Not even the day we broke up."

Leah kept silent. She just listened.

"I can see what you mean, now, when I look at pictures of us from back then. I just can't believe that I fucked it up. I walked out because I couldn't stand the heat. I thought my career was more important and I felt guilty for not telling him about the baby."

"It's gonna be okay, B. I promise." Her friend said and pulled her in for a hug.

* * *

At six o'clock, the gang started to arrive, none of them bothering to knock as they filtered in. First through the door was Quil and Ayelen. He had a six pack of beer in his hand, his other arm draped over his girlfriend's shoulder. Then followed Seth and Jared, Kim trailing behind him. Seth put a bottle of Jack Daniels down on the counter in the kitchen, smirking at Bella.

"Oh haha!." Bella said sarcastically. "Not funny."

"But it was, though." Seth laughed. "You should have seen yourself that morning. Wilted like a flower who hadn't gotten enough water."

They were interrupted by Jake and Naira, who came over to greet Bella. Naira handed Bella a big bunch of lilies and shrugged. "I wasn't sure if this was an unofficial house warming." She smiled.

"Thank you. It wasn't planned as a housewarming, but since none of you have been here, except for Leah, I guess it could work."

Embry and Maddison joined them, also liking the idea of labeling tonight as a house warming.

Bella wondered idly where her parents were, and scanned the room. Her heart stopped as she spotted her parents near the front door, chatting animatedly with Paul. They were crazy about him. He'd charmed his way into their hearts the very first night that Bella had introduced him to her parents.

Bella made her way over to them, settling in next to her father. "Hi, Daddy." She greeted him with a small kiss on the cheek, and then did so with her mother as well. She next turned to Paul, feeling anxious and managed to stutter out an awkward "H-hi," to him.

Bella caught Leah's eye from the kitchen where Adrian had now joined her. Leah was making kissy faces at Bella. She scowled, causing her friend to chuckle.

"Thanks for inviting me." Paul's tone was formal and Bella focused her attention back on him.

"You're welcome."

"When are the two of you gonna stop this nonsense and get back together, huh?" Reneé asked casually.

"Mom!" Bella scolded. "Paul has a girlfriend." Bella pretended that she didn't know about the break-up. In truth, if Leah hadn't told her, she would still have been in the dark.

"Actually," Paul said, "We ended things today."

"Oh you poor dear." Reneé said, not looking sad at all. "Well, you know you can always lean on Bella, if you need to." Her mother's mind was probably already in overdrive with the possibilities it held for Paul and her daughter.

"I'm so sorry, Paul." Bella said, meaning it. She hoped it wasn't her fault. She wondered if Paul maybe did tell Grace about what had transpired between the two of them last night.

"It's okay. I'm fine." He said, the corners of his mouth twitching up slightly, almost as if he were happy.

Dinner was a boisterous event, the men talked loudly about the Super Bowl coming up soon and fighting about who the favorite was to win the event. Charlie maintained passionately that it was important to support your home team, while Jared and Quil disagreed strongly. They were big supporters of the Pittsburg Steelers.

"Traitors! That's what you are!" Charlie boomed.

Everyone laughed at the heated discussion going on. Bella sighed, looking at Ayelen, who was sitting to Bella's left. "Men and sports."

"I know, right." Ayelen agreed, rolling her eyes. "I don't get it."

"Neither do I."

Bella looked up as she felt eyes on her, and found Paul observing her with an expression that she couldn't place. She held his gaze, neither of them looking away. Bella's heart raced and blood pumped deafeningly in her ears. What she would give to know what Paul was thinking right now.

"So, how's work going at the clinic?" Naira asked, bringing Bella's attention back to her friends.

"It's going good. I got my first marriage proposal this week."

"What?" Leah asked, her mouth full of food. She swallowed and continued, "You didn't tell me that."

"Yeah." Bella said, hesitating as she saw Paul frown, his body tense, "It was this old guy, Mr. Parker. I helped him with his medication. He'd been taking it incorrectly, so I explained to him the correct way of using it. And he said, 'Why don't you marry me, dear. Then I won't have to struggle with all of these pills anymore. And in return, I'll teach _you_ a few things.' I was so shocked, I couldn't even respond." The girls laughed. Bella could see Paul visibly relax, now. What the hell was up with him?

* * *

 **PPOV**

Much later, when everyone had finished eating and were now hanging around, drinks in hand, Paul walked over to a wall covered in picture frames. At the top of the wall, the word 'friends' was painted in big, golden cursive letters. Underneath it hung pictures of all of her friends. There were so many of them. Ones with people Paul didn't know, a few of the two of them with the gang on first beach and La Push, quite a few of Bella and Leah, and one that had been taken of all of them, huddled together on the Pacific Northwest bridge, ready to go bungee jumping.

Paul remembered that day. He and Bella hadn't been dating for very long at that point. She was so nervous for her first jump and had been quiet the whole drive to Amboy. He remembered how he'd pulled her against him and promised her that he would never let anything bad happen to her. In the end, she had enjoyed the bungee jumping so much that she had even jumped a second time.

Under those pictures, 'family' was painted in the same style.

Pictures of her and her parents were everywhere. Bella with her parents at graduation, one of them at Christmas time where Bella looked to be about fifteen, a couple of her and her parents on vacation and a few baby pictures as well. What shocked Paul though, was that there were about five pictures there that included him. Two of those pictures with just him in it. He wondered if that meant Bella thought of him as family?

"Remember the time you made me go fishing with you and Charlie?" Bella suddenly spoke at his side.

"And you fell into the river as you were reeling in a fish." Paul chuckled. "You were so angry at us for laughing at you."

"My ass hurt for days after that, you know."

"I remember." Paul smiled at her. "So, why are there pictures of me in the family section?" He was curious to hear her answer.

"You know you'll always be family. No matter what." Bella said in earnest. "And so will your parents." She pointed to a picture of the four of them at the Seattle space needle.

Paul looked up as his brain registered how quiet the room had become, only to find all eyes observing the moment that he and Bella were sharing.

Bella cleared her throat, looking a little embarrassed. "Guess I should get back to the other guests."

* * *

 **BPOV**

About an hour later, when all her friends had headed off, except for Leah and her parents, Bella walked Paul to his truck to say good bye.

"Thanks for inviting me." He unlocked his truck and turned to her. "It was nice to see your parents again."

"Yeah, I think they've missed you a lot." She looked down at her feet, feeling a little out of sorts.

Paul gently grabbed her chin with his thumb and forefinger, stroking her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. His face dipped down towards her's and he placed his warm lips on hers, kissing her softly. Her breath hitched at the unexpected gesture. He pulled away too soon and got into his truck without another glance at her.

Bella stood rooted to the spot for a while after Paul's truck had disappeared from view, touching her lips in shock.

As she ascended the steps to the open front door, she heard her mother and Leah whispering excitedly.

"What was that?" Leah asked with a smug smile on her face.

"Were the two of you spying on me?" Bella pointed between Leah and Reneé, scowling. "You were, weren't you?"

"You left the front door wide open." Her mother defended. "How could we not look?"

"Ugh," Bella groaned in exasperation. "You two are terrible!"

"That kiss didn't look too terrible." Leah deadpanned.

Bella laughed, still feeling a little astonished at the kiss she and Paul had just shared. "It was such a good kiss." Bella blushed.

"Oh by the way, Mrs. Swan." Leah turned to her mother. "Did Bella tell you that she and Paul slept together last night?"

"Leah! Seriously?" Bella complained. Now she would never hear the end of this.

"Really?" Reneé clapped her hands together in delight. "I thought you said you guys weren't together?"

"We're not. Honestly, I have no god damned clue what's going on between us right now."

 **A/N: So? Tell me what you thought about the chapter :) xxx**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thank you guys for being so patient and still reviewing. Here is the next chapter. Please enjoy! xxx**

 **Chapter 8 - The date**

 **BPOV**

Bella popped her earphones into her ears, switched on her Ipod and started her morning jog. The air was frigid and it felt like it cut right through her clothes. Her nose burned and her face felt numb. She wished she could feel numb. Her emotions were a mess and she didn't know what was going on between Paul and her. It irked her. Bella selected an upbeat song and headed toward the beach.

It was quiet as she jogged along the sandy shores, not a person in sight. She supposed it was still a little too early. Bella thought back to the past couple of weeks. She couldn't believe that she'd been here for a little over a month now. And ever since the mind numbing kiss that she had shared with Paul the other night after the dinner at her house, he'd kept himself at a distance. Even when they hung out at Sam and Emily's. It was like he was ignoring her. She didn't quite understand what had gone wrong. She knew she wasn't a bad kisser. Something else was going on.

She forced her thoughts to work, feeling frustrated about trying to work out what she'd done to put him off. She was finally feeling like she was getting the hang of things at the clinic and she was slowly starting to build relationships with her patients. Some were regulars.

"Hi." A voice startled Bella.

"Jesus Christ!" Bella yelped and stopped jogging. She clutched her pounding heart and looked up into Paul's eyes. Speak of the devil...

"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." He smirked,

"Done avoiding me now, are you?" She bit out, turned away from him and started jogging away. Two could play this hot and cold game of his.

"Are you mad at me?" Paul grinned annoyingly from next to her as he caught up easily.

Bella decided that she wasn't going to answer. She kept her chin up, continued running and focused on her breathing. Deep breath in, deep breath out.

"Hey," He soothed and grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop. "I didn't mean to hurt you." He cupped her cheek with a warm hand.

"What do you want, Paul? You're interrupting my jog."

Paul was quiet for a minute. He seemed deep in thought, looking at his feet.

"Ugh, forget it." Bella dismissed him. She yanked on the cord of her Ipod, effectively pulling the earpieces from her ears. She stowed it in her back pocket and headed in the opposite direction with a determined stride. Her morning exercise was obviously a bust today. She headed toward the house feeling irritated. She didn't have time for guessing games. This was all it was...

"I want you." Paul said, stopping Bella dead in her tracks.

"What?" She squeaked out. This wasn't the answer she was expecting.

"I said," He walked up to her, "I want you." He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "At the risk of being shut down, I am telling you that I love you. I'm still in love with you. I kept my distance these past couple of weeks to prove to you that I'm not rebounding after Grace. I didn't want to rush things. I tried to stay away from you. But I just can't do it anymore."

"You love me?" She gave Paul an incredulous look.

"Yes." He looked so serious. Maybe even a little scared.

Bella reached up and pulled his head gently towards hers, a smile breaking out over her face as his words sunk in. "God, Paul. Do you have any idea how long I've dreamt about hearing you say those exact words to me?" And then she kissed him. It was slow and careful at first. He opened his mouth to allow her entrance. She moaned as his tongue stroked gently against hers.

"I still love you too." She panted as she broke the kiss. "I never stopped loving you."

Paul's answering smile was dazzling. He cupped her cheek in his hand and softly brushed his lips against hers. "Please say you'll go on a date with me tonight?"

"I'd love to." Bella blushed. In all honesty, this wasn't how she had planned on spending her Friday night. She had a whole evening planned for herself, which included wallowing in self pity with a pint of Ben and Jerry's in front of the television, watching sappy romantic movies. But a date with him sounded so much better.

"Good. I'll pick you up at six. Wear something warm. We're going to be outside."

"Interesting. Care to tell me what we are doing?"

"Nothing fancy. We're just going to get to know each other again." Paul placed a tender kiss on her lips and pulled her close to him. "Have fun at work. I'll see you later." He greeted.

"Bye." Bella smiled and headed up the steps to her front door.

As soon as Paul was out of earshot, Bella squealed, "Oh my god!" She clapped her hands together excitedly. She almost wanted to do a happy dance. They were going on a date. To get to know each other again. And he said he still loved her. This was so unreal.

The day at work was torturously slow, despite the full clinic. It was all minor things like wounds, renewals of chronic prescriptions, sick babies and a couple of cases of the sniffles. Emily had also come by for a check up.

"How are you doing, Em?" Bella smiled as she wiped the ultrasound jelly from Emily's stomach and pulled her shirt down.

"I'm good. Just a little morning sickness. Nothing that I can't handle. I guess the fact that Sam and I had struggled for so long to get pregnant made me really grateful. I'm not about to complain about a little nausea. It's all worth it in the end."

"Sure is. But are you sure that you want me as your OB/GYN. I mean, there are quite a few good ones in Forks and Seattle that you could choose from."

"Nope. I know you're not really doing this anymore, but I've read up about you and from what I found, there is no way that I want another doctor. Everyone is crazy about you. Apparently you were very sought after in California."

"Oh hush. I'm definitely not all that."

"Whatever you say. But I'm not changing my mind." She grinned. "You're stuck with me."

Bella motioned for Emily to take a seat as she herself sat down on the other side of the desk and pulled Emily's file closer. "Your blood pressure looks good, Em. And your urine is clean. Baby looks healthy and is growing very well. I want you to continue with pre-natal vitamins and then I'll see you again in five weeks." Bella scribbled a few notes in Emily's file and shut it, looking up at her friend with a smile.

"So," Emily leaned forward. "I heard you and Paul are going on a date tonight." Her eyes twinkled.

"We are." Bella affirmed. "I'm a little nervous."

"Don't be. You guys were together for so long that I'm surprised it took so long for you to get back together again in the first place."

"True. But Paul said that he wanted us to get to know each other again, starting tonight." Bella frowned. "What if he realizes that my life is very dull and that I'm not interesting anymore?"

"Oh my god, Bella. That's never gonna happen. That man loves you so much."

"Hope you're right." She sighed.

"I know I am. We're all so happy for you guys. We've waited for this to happen for a very long time. We all knew you'd find your way back to each other."

"Thanks Em." Bella said as Emily got up to leave. "Take care of yourself."

"Will do. So, I'll see you on Saturday?"

"Sure." Bella hugged Emily. "Bye."

Bella was busy with her admin when Leah stormed into her office. "When were you planning on telling me about your date? Since when is your bestie the last to know?"

"Oh honey." Bella placated Leah. "I was just busy. I would have called you as soon as I got home."

"Fine." She conceded. "Where's he taking you?" She placed herself in the chair opposite her friend, demanding her attention."

"I honestly don't know. He said something about getting to know each other again and that I should dress warmly."

"Physically or emotionally?"

"Jesus, Leah!" Bella replied, feigning outrage, but gave in with a smirk directed at her friend. "Hopefully both."

Leah laughed wholeheartedly. "Dirty little slut."

"You know it." Bella winked.

"Okay, so I know you're busy. I'll let you get to it. But I want details when you get home. If you get home."

"I promise. And I won't leave out any details."

"Better not." Leah waved a goodbye over her shoulder as she walked out of Bella's office.

* * *

 **PPOV**

Paul showered and washed his hair later that afternoon. He was feeling a little nervous. Even though he had professed his 'undying' love to Bella, so to speak, he was still weary of getting his heart broken again. He wasn't sure if he'd survive it this time. The imprint made him feel vulnerable, because even at their best times, Paul had never needed to be so close to Bella all the time, as he did right now.

Paul slipped into a pair of dark blue jeans, opting to go commando. If he got a hard on, which he probably would just being near Bella tonight, it wouldn't be so uncomfortable without briefs.

He pulled a white sweater over his head and tried to tame his wild black hair. It proved impossible though and Paul just gave up. His hair had a will of its own.

Paul's heart hammered in his chest as he climbed the few steps to Bella's front door. He took a calming breath, lifted his hand and knocked on the door.

"Coming." Paul heard from somewhere inside her house. There was a loud thud and a whispered 'fuck'. Paul wondered if Bella had tripped over something. He chuckled and shook his head. He wouldn't put it past her.

"Hi." Bella greeted brightly, cheeks flushed as the door swung open. Paul tried not to gape at the sight of Bella dressed all in black. Her black skinny jeans clung tightly to her legs. His gaze traveled down to her high heels. He wondered if she would be comfortable in those heels for the date that he had planned.

Bella apparently knew what he was thinking, because she held up a pair of flats. "I wasn't sure where you were planning on taking me, so I'm bringing these along." She pointed to the shoes in her hand.

"In all honesty, I think you should ditch the heels right now. As fucking hot as you look, you will definitely be uncomfortable in them."

"Okay, off with the heels, then." She said and kicked them to the side. She lifted a hand to anchor herself against the door jamb and slip on the flats.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Yeah." She replied simply. She seemed nervous now. Paul could hear her heart race. He hoped this was a good sign. Maybe she wanted him just as much.

Paul had decided that he wanted to take things slower with Bella for now. No more sex until he told her about the imprint. He didn't want sex to complicate things if she decided that the supernatural life was not for her.

He helped Bella into his truck and headed for the driver's side.

"So, where are you taking me?" She asked as he started the vehicle.

"Somewhere private. No disturbances."

* * *

 **BPOV**

Paul parked his truck in front of a cliff, overlooking a vast expanse of untamed sea waters. The waves crashed violently and the sun was almost down now, leaving a few streaks of red and orange on the horizon.

Paul helped her onto the hood of his truck so that they could watch the last of the setting sun before darkness consumed them.

"It's beautiful here. How did you find this place?"

"We came cliff diving here a lot since I came back. Very dangerous, but it's such an amazing thrill."

Paul reached for her hand and Bella felt the same electricity shoot up her arm as she did on previous occasions.

"So, do you enjoy working in the E.R?"

"Yeah, I love it. The adrenaline rush is the best. When someone is lying on a bed and I know that one wrong move could end his or her life, it does something to me. I know there are greater powers beyond me, but to be able to save them with the knowledge and experience I've gained just takes things to a whole new level."

"Yeah. I bet it does." Bella frowned for a second. "I used to feel like that for the first few years in Cali. I mean, god! To bring a life into this world is so beautiful and so empowering. I loved the surgeries the most. The precision it required."

"Why don't you love it anymore?"

"Because it cost me everything." Bella looked up at Paul. She wished he understood just how much she regret walking away from him. She wished that she could tell him the truth.

"Everything?" Paul asked as he turned his head toward her.

"Yeah. Friends, family, us. Everything." She emphasized with wide eyes. "I often wondered how things would have been if I had never left. Would we have been married with a family by now?"

"I've thought about it as well." Paul nodded. "And I _do_ think we would have been married by now. With a house full of dark haired kids running around."

"I was a stupid little girl back then." Bella sighed and looked away.

Paul guided her face back to his. "We were both young and stupid. I should have fought _harder_ for you. But I just let you go."

"You were being noble. I asked you to let me go."

"At least we got a second chance." Paul smiled. "Okay! "He slapped his hands down on his thighs, startling Bella a little, "Enough with the heavy. I'm hungry."

He helped Bella down from the hood and led her to the back of the pick up. He grabbed a large duffel bag and removed two blankets. He spread one over a thin mattress lying in the bed of the truck and motioned for Bella to get in.

Bella climbed onto the back and settled herself, taking the warm blanket Paul offered. "Thanks."

He followed suit and came to sit down next to her, rummaging in a small paper bag for some burgers.

"I know this isn't a fancy date, but I just felt like we needed to get away from everyone. And the Bella I once knew was always one for the outdoors."

"It's perfect, Paul. I prefer this way more that an overcrowded restaurant."

The two of them ate in silence. Paul had devoured four burgers by the time Bella finished her's. She couldn't remember him eating this much, ever. "Hungry much?" She teased.

"A little." He lifted the blanket and scooted closer to her underneath it, wrapping an arm around her waist. Bella instantly felt the cold dissipate.

The conversation flowed easily. They talked about the years since they broke up, about family and friends but never once drifted back to the break-up. They were moving forward now. They talked about food, music, movies and other inconsequential topics. It was easy between them. It had always been easy.

Bella looked up into Paul's eyes, struggling to see his emotions as the darkness enveloped them. They were both quiet now. She felt his hot breath on her face as he lowered his mouth onto her's. His lips were hot, burning her as he captured her bottom lip in his. His tongue begged for entrance, which she granted almost instantly. His fingers traveled under her clothes and up to her bra, yanking it swiftly. She heard the material tear, allowing her breasts to escape. His nimble fingers started to tease each of her nipples in turn, causing a moan to escape from her lips.

They continued like this for the most part of the night, like two horny teenagers getting to second base for the first time. They didn't rush things. It was like they both needed this innocence to become whole again and move forward.

"Thank you so much for tonight." Bella said at the door to her home. "I had a great time with you."

"Yeah, it was kind of fun just making out."

"We didn't just kiss. As I recall, you copped a feel, too. A few times actually." Bella laughed.

"Oh, so now you're innocent, huh?" Paul said in a mock serious voice.

"Well, no. I never said I was innocent."

"Good night, beautiful." Paul said and placed a kiss on her swollen lips. "See you tomorrow."

"What happens tomorrow?" Bella frowned.

"We're getting together with the others to discuss a weekend away."

"Sounds good. Sleep well, Paul." Bella winked and shut the door.

* * *

 **PPOV**

Paul headed for the shower when he got home. As much as he enjoyed the kissing and groping between him and Bella tonight, he needed a release. His erection would not subside and it was becoming uncomfortable to the point were it was painful.

He opened the glass door of his large shower, turned on the faucet and watched as the doors and mirror slowly began to fog over.

He zipped down his pants carefully, not to cause more discomfort, and released his rock hard cock, watching it bob up and down, head glistening. Next to go was his shirt, which he discarded on top of the pants. He opened the shower door and got in slowly, relishing the heat from the water. He stood directly under the hot spray, letting it wash over his head and run down his large body. Paul grabbed the soap and started working up a lather, spreading his hand over his thick, considerably large cock. He started rubbing slowly as images of Bella came to mind.

 _He imagined her on top of him, riding him with a determined pace as her hand rubbed her moist clit. He could hear her moan as he trust back up into her while she ground her core against him, seeking much needed friction. She panted his name as he felt her walls start to quiver, her juices oozing from her delectable pussy, coating his thick shaft as it continued to slide in and out of her._

Paul came hard, thick spurts of cum bursting into his hand. He panted as he steadied himself against the shower wall, head hanging low. He idly watched as his thick fluids mixed with the water, draining away swiftly while he tried to calm his breathing.

He didn't know how long he would be able to abstain from sex with Bella. He was going to take it one step at a time and see how things go. He would rub his dick raw daily, if it meant that they could repair what they'd once broken.

Paul's body begged for a soft, comfortable bed, but his mind was still too alert to go to sleep, so he decided that watching some television was a good option.

 **A/N: What did you think of the date? And how long will they be able to go without sex? Please review. xxx**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hi all. Here is the next chapter. Just finished a one shot featuring Jacob called 'Your's for the night'. Go check it out if you're interested. I'm also working on a new story. Trying my best to update as often as possible and I want to get a head start on the new story before I start posting the first chapter. Thank you for each and every review! Please enjoy xxx**

 **Chapter 9 - Truth**

 **PPOV**

Paul stretched out his long, brawny body as he took as seat for the first time today. His body was stiff and sore from having fallen asleep on the couch last night. He was filling in for Dr. Michaels, who apparently had a family emergency. The E.R. smelled of bleach. One of his favorite smells. It was clean, but still there was the underlying scent of blood lingering. He looked over to bed number three, now stripped of covers and sheets, still shining from being wiped down recently. Paul sighed. The images of a woman with a swollen belly lying pale and lifeless on the gurney haunted him and made him feel sick to his stomach. She was someone's wife, someone's daughter. He thought of all the preparations she and her family had probably made already, as she was quite far along into her pregnancy. The baby didn't make it either. He couldn't imagine the devastation that her family now felt. He had to explain to them how the impact of the car crashing into a truck had ended her life, along with that of their unborn child's and watch as worry and concern bled into surfeit horror on their faces.

He pushed the disturbing images from his mind as he tried to complete the death certificate and end off the file.

"Hi." A chipper voice interrupted his depressing thoughts.

Paul looked up into the face of his favorite person in this world. He could feel his tension melt away almost completely. A pair of warm, chocolate brown eyes stared back at him.

"Thought you might need something to eat." Bella said and held up a brown paper bag. He could smell the contents inside the bag, making his stomach growl menacingly.

"Aww, you brought me burgers and fries." He smiled as he got up and walked around the desk to greet Bella. He pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her soundly on the lips, causing a blush to spread to her cheeks. The smell of her arousal hit him squarely in the face, turning him on way more than was appropriate at this time.

"How did you know it's burgers and fries?" Bella arched a curious brow.

Shit. Slip of the tongue. She still didn't know about his lupine senses. Paul tapped his nose and smirked. "Nothing can be hidden from my well trained nose."

Bella smiled at his comment and Paul inwardly sighed in relief at his swift recovery. He felt a sharp pang of guilt. He was still keeping secrets from her. He needed to tell her everything. Now just wasn't the right time. It never seemed to be the right time.

"I'll see you later." Bella hugged him again, apparently completely oblivious to his inner conflict. "I'm meeting Leah for coffee. You'll be at Sam and Em's tonight, right?"

"Definitely." He winked.

"Good." With a wave to Paul and the rest of the staff, Bella sauntered out of the Emergency room. He watched her walk out, almost salivating at the sight of her tight backside sashaying seductively. He was an ass man, through and through. And hers was the finest he's ever seen.

A throat being cleared brought his attention back to the present and to what he was busy doing. The male nurse next to him smirked.

"What?" Paul asked, trying to look innocent, but failed miserably as a wide grin spread over his face.

"Oh boy. You're so whipped."

"Yeah, yeah." Was Paul's response as he rolled his eyes, taking his seat again so that he could finish his work.

* * *

 **BPOV**

"So, do you have any idea what this trip involves or where we are going?" Bella asked Leah and took a sip of her steaming chai tea latte.

"As I understand, it's a two day trip, three days if you count the Friday. Not sure where to, though." Leah licked the froth from her top lip and set her cappuccino down.

"Right. Guess we'll find out tonight. I'm anxious for some proper one on one time with Paul." Bella grinned wickedly.

"I bet you are." Leah's eyes danced devilishly.

"So, how are things with Adrian going?" Bella asked, curious as to why Leah wanted to meet up for coffee.

"Great. In fact, he asked me to move in with him last night."

"What?" Bella squealed in excitement for her friend.

"You don't think it's to soon, do you?"

"No, definitely not too soon. Why? Are you having doubts?" Leah was a very independent person and Bella guessed that this might also be a source of concern for her friend.

"Nope. I'm just glad you agree, because I already said yes."

"Oh Lee, I'm so happy for you." Leah really deserved to be happy. She's had a couple of rough relationships in the past and Bella was glad to see that it didn't turn her heart to stone.

"Thanks, friend. So, what about you and Paul? How are things progressing?"

"Well, since we got back together things have mostly been PG thirteen between us. I think he's scared of rushing things. I even wonder sometimes if he might have issues trusting me."

"Maybe, but can you blame him, though? No offence, but you did break his poor heart."

"I know." Bella slumped back into her chair, feeling a little defeated. "I just hoped that we were now past that."

"Have you told him about the miscarriage yet?"

"God, Leah! What do you want me to say?" Bella asked irritatedly. "Hey Paul, guess what? Part of the reason I left you was because I lost our baby. Please don't be mad at me for hiding it from you for all these years."

"Hey," Leah soothed and took Bella's hand in hers. I didn't mean to be insensitive."

"No, don't apologize. It was a fair question and I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"Don't worry about it, B."

"I'll tell him, I promise. I guess I'm just waiting for the right time. And I'm scared of his reaction." Bella sighed. "I don't want to lose him now that I've finally gotten him back."

"I get that. Just don't wait too long. The more your relationship progresses, the worse it'll be when you do tell him. He might feel betrayed."

"Fine. I'll do it soon."

* * *

 **BPOV**

Bella walked into Sam and Emily's house just after six. It smelled heavenly. She was obviously cooking up a storm again and Bella felt a little bad for not offering to help. She was greeted by Paul as soon as she crossed the living room toward the kitchen. He pulled her in for a hug and buried his nose in her hair and sniffed. How weird.

"Hi." He said and caught her lips between his. The kiss was probably meant to be chaste, but heat flooded Bella at the taste of his lips and she opened her mouth, begging him to deepen the kiss. They only pulled away when the others started cheering and whistling, making Bella blush profusely. She guessed that this was the first time her friends had openly witnessed them kissing since god knows when and they seemed to like their affectionate exchanges.

"Finally." Sam piped up from somewhere to the side. "Thought you guys were never going to get back together." He smiled warmly at Bella.

Bella pulled out of Paul's embrace to go greet Emily and the others.

"Anything I can help you with?" She offered.

"No. You can just keep us company while I finish up here, if you want? I'm almost done." Emily smeared her hands down the sides of her apron and turned back toward the stove.

"Things seem to be going well between you and Paul." Maddison said and raised a knowing eyebrow.

"Yeah. I just hate that feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know?"

"Almost like there's no way that you deserve to be this happy and you're wondering how long it will last?" Maddison understood what she meant, completely.

Bella nodded.

"You do deserve happiness, Bella. It's normal for things to work out well."

"I hope you're right, Bella sniffed and changed the subject to take the focus away from her.

* * *

 **PPOV**

Paul was hungry. A deep, ugly, animalistic hunger burned inside of him. He needed Bella, even though he'd said that they'd take it slow. His wolf agreed that they needed to bed their mate again, soon. Her sweet honeysuckle scent so near to him in the confined space that was Sam and Emily's house, made it even more difficult. She smelled like heaven. Sweet as sticky honey and sex in a jar. He could scent her arousal when he kissed her and it made him happy that she was responding to him so easily.

He focused his attention back to his friends, who were all seated around the table. Bella was sitting next to him, her hand on his lap, dangerously close to his growing erection. She traced her finger just to the side of his groin, never touching him where he needed it most. He looked at her, but she was busy conversing with Kim. If it wasn't for the small smile that played on her lips and a quick look at him from her periphery, he would have thought that she was oblivious to the reaction she was causing him. But he new better. The little minx was teasing him. If she continued like this, he was going to have to teach her a lesson.

Paul almost jerked at the reaction Bella caused him as she subtly grabbed his package and released again, never looking at him. There was no way that he could warn her that she was going to pay for what she was doing, without being overheard by the others. It was okay. He would bide his time until they got home. Then he was going to teach her that groping and teasing your boyfriend while others were so close, was not acceptable. He was going to fuck her to within an inch of her life if she kept this up.

He focused his attention on his friends as they now started to discuss the upcoming weekend. The pack wanted to go to Portland. Embry had apparently found a place online that could accommodate all of them. He said that there were a few log cabins, which would mean that each couple could have their privacy and that they could still spend time together as a group. There was a lodge with a restaurant, which meant that the women could get some time off from cooking, as they deserved a break. It snowed in Portland during the winter months and it didn't leave them with very many options for activities, but they all just needed a break from everyday life and a weekend of doing basically nothing, away from home, sounded dreamy to all of them.

"First we need to establish if next weekend is good for everyone. I need to book the cabins." Embry stated.

Most of the pack was in. Even him. He was off that weekend anyway.

"What about you, Bella?" Paul asked.

"Of course I'm in. It sounds great. I could really use a break."

"Good." He smiled at her. "Guess everyone is going, then."

The rest of the evening was spent discussing what they were going to do when they got there and how the travel arrangements would work. Everyone seemed excited. He relished the idea of having Bella to himself for a whole weekend. They were going to share a cabin. Oh, the possibilities...

Paul was still painfully aware of his raging hard-on. Bella hadn't stopped working his shaft through his pants, though she was very subtle about it. No one had the faintest idea what was happening under the table. Sure the guys could probably smell their combined arousal, but the pack was used to it. It was very rare for an imprinted couple not to be turned on when near each other.

Bella groped again and he had to suppress a growl. She was definitely asking to be hammered against a surface tonight, and that was exactly what he planned to do as soon as they left, later. Hopefully _sooner_ , rather than later.

* * *

 **BPOV**

"Oh Jesus!" Bella panted as Paul slammed her into a wall somewhere in his house. She had no idea what was going on around her as they fumbled desperately, trying to rid each other of the many layers keeping them from skin to skin contact. Paul dragged his lips down her throat, nipping at her flesh and caressed the side of her face with his knuckle. They were still moving. To where, she didn't know. They almost fell at some point, but Paul managed to keep them up.

Paul gave a frustrated growl and ripped her button-up sweater from her body, buttons scattering in every direction. "Too complicated. You should wear things that come off easily." He was panting now.

Bella lifted Paul's shirt over his head and as quickly as he let go, he steadied her body that was tightly wrapped around his waist. She loved it when he was so demanding. It made her soak her panties completely.

"God, I need you inside of me. Please?" She begged him and ground her pelvis into him.

He set her down and helped her remove her pants. Bella kicked it to the side with reckless abandon and moaned wantonly as she felt him stroke her throbbing clit over her panties. He pulled it to the side with one finger, his other hand teasing her slick folds.

"Ah! Yes, baby!" She shouted as he dipped a finger into her.

"So wet for me already, are you?" His silky bass droned in her ear and he flicked the shell with the tip of his tongue. Her insides clenched deliciously.

"Just for you..." Bella panted and grabbed his zipper, sliding it down and effectively freeing him of his pants. She took his thick, throbbing cock into her hands and started pumping him slowly, making his back arch and his eyes roll to the back of his head.

Paul growled suddenly and grabbed her hand to halt her movements, turning Bella around so that her back was against his chest. He twined their fingers, moving it slowly down to where she needed it most. Paul guided her finger deep inside of her dripping core with one of his own. It was such an incredible sensation feeling both of their fingers thrusting knuckle-deep and demanding into her, over and over again. He was igniting a fire within her quivering core. Her body bucked and bowed of its own accord as his ministrations brought her closer to the edge. Paul stroked the pad of his thumb over her hip and his teeth nipped at the skin of her neck. Bella tilted her head to the side, exposing her neck to him as his tongue tasted her creamy skin.

"Fuck, Paul. I think I'm gonna cum!" She mewled and writhed under his magic touch. She felt her walls tighten dangerously and ecstasy ripped like wildfire through her trembling body as her orgasm exploded inside of her. "Ah, yessss!" She hissed and clamped down around their fingers with unyielding force.

"Now," Paul whispered seductively in her ear as he removed their fingers from her soaking core, "I'm going to make you pay for teasing me."

Bella squeaked as he swiftly bent her ever-needy body over the bed, thrusting deep into her without so much as a warning. She cried out at the heavenly sensation of being filled so completely.

"Jesus, I love this tight little pussy of yours." He kissed the skin in the hollow of her back, just above her butt. She wondered what he meant about making her pay, because as far as she was concerned, this was no punishment at all. He took one of her hands and placed it between her legs, right at the juncture where their bodies connected so deliciously. "I want you to feel how I fuck this mouth watering pussy of yours. Feel me slide into you, baby."

Paul pulled out of her and thrust back in, hard. He was going oh so slowly. She understood now. He was trying to torture her with his slow pace, but Bella could still feel the pressure start to build. The feeling of his slick shaft sliding against her fingers as he plundered her needy mound, made her body go wild. She was overcome with so much sensations that her body started to quiver, nearing climax once again.

Suddenly he pulled out of her, turned her around and moved her onto the bed. Bella groaned. She had been right on the edge of an orgasm when he'd stopped. Just a few more thrusts was all she'd needed...

He started kissing each of her nipples in turn, sucking and then biting. His tongue licked the skin between the hollow of her breasts and nipped at her creamy swells. Her lady bits were throbbing wickedly. She needed him to fill her again. She felt desperate.

"Please, Paul. Please." She begged him, bucking her hips wildly up toward him, seeking what he had to offer her.

"Please, what?" He quirked an eyebrow. He was teasing her. She knew she deserved it after the stunt she'd pulled earlier, during dinner.

"I need you inside of me..."

Paul chuckled evilly. "Oh, you do, huh?" He squeezed her sensitive nub between his fingers, making her body jerk. "What about earlier when you tortured me in front of all of our friends?"

He thrust into her once, making her cry out.

"I didn't mean to tease you. I just needed to touch you."

"Liar!" He grunted with another thrust, but this time he continued. He pounded into her harder and harder, fucking her savagely. "One must not tease, Bella." Paul panted. "It's not very polite."

"Oh dear god!" She moaned as his pace didn't relent. He's never taken her this hard before. She bit down on her lip as the pressure started to build inside of her yet again. Her body was so ready for his punishment. He pulled out of her once more and she groaned in frustration. Was he even planning on letting her cum tonight? She sure hoped so.

He lifted her from the bed and guided her legs to wrap around his waist as he easily slid into her ready core. He pushed her back up against a wall, just like he had done earlier. Yes! She loved it when he took her like this. His movements were frantic. Desperate. His eyes seemed luminescent, almost yellow - a color Bella had never seen before. With heated, deliberate strokes, he thrust into her as deep as he could. Her fingers tangled in his hair and her lips and tongue tasted his hot, sweaty skin. Paul's one hand squeezed her bottom, while the other held her tightly against him. She was teetering on the edge and as she looked up into Paul's eyes, she could see that he was also hanging onto his last shred of control. He thrust even deeper, if that were possible and then he threw his head back, groaning as he came deep inside of her. Bella jumped from the precipice, joining him with a cry to the heavens as her body shook and clamped down around his cock. She trust and ground her hips desperately against his, trying to hold onto her orgasm for just a second longer.

Their movements gradually slowed as both of them finally felt sated. Paul rested his head against her's and held her firmly in place. His chest was heaving severely from the exertion. As his breathing finally slowed to an almost acceptable pace, Paul carried Bella to his bed and collapsed onto his side, next to her, with a satisfied grin. Bella snuggled into the crook of his arm and placed her head on his chest. His heat was comforting and she felt herself slowly drift off toward sleep as he absently twirled a lock of her hair around a large finger.

"Love you, Bella." He whispered.

She smiled lazily. "Love you, too." She replied before finally giving herself over to sleep.

* * *

 **PPOV**

Paul awoke to Bella sitting up in bed, nervously chewing her bottom lip. "Hey, let that poor lip of yours go." He said and swiped his thumb over her plump, red lip.

She looked at him with big, worried eyes. "I need to tell you something."

"Okay. I'm listening." Her expression made him frown.

"I should have told you this a long time ago." She fiddled with the smooth material of the bed sheets, her brows puckering. "Just before we broke up, I had a miscarriage." She blurted out and looked away from him. "I didn't even know I was pregnant until it happened."

The first emotions that registered with Paul was shock and disbelief. Bella had been pregnant? And neither of them had realized this? How far along had she been? Paul sat in silence, not looking at Bella. His mind was reeling. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know." Bella replied. Her eyes carefully ventured up to meet his. "I guess I was overwhelmed and scared. I needed to get away, before something like this happened again and ended my career." She pulled that same tortured bottom lip of hers back into her mouth, worrying the thin flesh with her teeth even more. It was her signature move whenever she was worried or uncomfortable.

"You didn't think that we could have prevented it from happening again? Or did you think I wanted you to stay so badly that I'd sabotage your career for my own selfish needs?" Paul ground his teeth together and focused his eyes on his clenched fists.

"I was a stupid little girl back then, Paul. I know you'd never sabotage my career, but accidents happen, apparently."

His eyes flicked up to hers and caught her teary chocolate ones in a deadlock with his own. He was hurt and he needed to be alone to process this. "I'm going to drop you off at home. I need time to think, Bella."

"Please, Paul. Don't be mad at me. I'm begging you." A lone tear slipped down her pale cheek now.

Paul sighed. "I'm not mad, Bella." He dragged a hand through his hair. "I'm hurt. I feel betrayed." He stood up to leave, but turned to her once more. "Who else knows about this?"

"Leah. Only Leah."

"So, you trusted her enough to tell her about it, but not me? The one person who was directly involved?" He chuckled bitterly. "Unbelievable."

"I didn't want you to stop me from leaving. Leah was the only one who just listened and never tried to interfere. She knew that I needed to get away. She never tried to change my mind."

Paul shook his head at Bella's words. He wished he knew what to say, but he was speechless. When did Bella cook up this unreasonable version of him in her mind? A version of him that would try and hold her back? It was best for him to leave now, before he said something that could never be taken back. He trudged down the hall and through the living room, ready to phase. It was the only way he could clear his head right now.

"Guess I'll just walk home?" He heard Bella say to no one in particular as he neared the thick stand of trees that bordered the forest.

 **A/N: Please review. xxx**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hi all. Sorry for the wait, but here you go. Chapter 10 is finally up. Thanks again for all your reviews. Hope you enjoy it. xxx**

 **Chapter 10 - Grief**

 **BPOV**

Sobs wracked Bella's body as she lay in bed, crying. Not because Paul pushed her away, but because she was grieving about the loss of their baby for the first time. There was never time to deal with her emotions back then. It was studying and work almost twenty-four-seven. She regretted not telling Paul. He had the right to know. She was such a fucking stupid little girl.

Bella sat up in anger and threw a pillow at the mirror. She couldn't look at herself. The image of her blotchy, tear stained face disgusted her. "Fucking coward!" Bella shouted at herself and sniffled her snot back into her stuffy, red nose. She wiped her tears from her cheeks, one at a time, with the absent lift of her shoulders.

She couldn't blame Paul for his reaction. She would give him all the time he needed. She just hoped he would forgive her. It seemed that every time she thought they were finally out of the woods, there were just more monsters lurking close by. Something else to derail them. She wondered if they were even meant for each other? Or was she just hanging on to something that was never meant to be? Were they fighting fate by trying to be together?

There was a knock on the door. Bella knew it wasn't Paul. She contemplated not answering the door and pulled the covers over her head. Maybe she would eventually run out of air and suffocate...

At the second, more determined knock, Bella lifted her tired body from the bed and padded down to the front door. She didn't even wipe her face. Hopefully the image of her would scare away any unwanted visitors.

"Mom?" Bella asked in surprise. She wasn't expecting her mother. Would Leah have told her mom about what happened? Probably...

"Honey, have you been crying?" Her mother frowned and stroked a thumb under one of Bella's eyes.

"Where's dad?" Bella asked in a thin voice.

"He's watching the game with Billy and Harry. What happened?" Reneé cocked her head, assessing her intently.

Bella started to sob bitterly, resting her chin on her mother's shoulder as she was pulled in for a tight hug.

"Shhh." Her mother soothed. "Let's go inside." She grabbed Bella by the shoulders, turned her around and gently pushed her back in the direction of the kitchen. "I'll make us some tea and then we can talk."

Bella simply nodded. She wiped her tears and followed her mother to the kitchen. Bella tried but failed to feel ashamed at the condition her kitchen was in. Empty ice cream cartons were piled onto the kitchen counter. Dirty glasses, mugs and plates were stacked in the sink, balancing precariously. It was a wonder they haven't tipped over yet. Bella shrugged her shoulders to no one in particular, sniffed juicily and looked away. She didn't give a fuck right now.

Bella watched in silence as her mother made the tea. She was glad to have someone to talk to.

"Now..." Her mother said as they sat down together on the couch, each with a steaming cup of milky tea in hand, "Tell me what happened."

Bella hesitated for a moment. "God, mom. I don't even know where to begin." She sighed.

"Try telling me from the start." Her mother encouraged.

With a sip of her tea, Bella dived into the story, telling her mother everything that happened from the miscarriage to Paul asking for some time to think. All the while, her mother sat silently, just listening. If her mother was shocked, she hid it well. All Bella saw on her mother's face was tenderness and understanding - something that Bella needed desperately.

"Oh, honey." Reneé spoke gently. "I'm so sorry that you had to go through this all alone. I wish I knew so that I could have been there to support you."

"I know I should have told you. I should have told Paul as well. I was such a stupid girl back then. Selfish."

"You were young, yes, but never stupid or selfish. You were scared." Reneé countered.

"The worst part is that I gave Paul up so easily back then, because I thought I knew what I wanted. Turns out that everything I wanted I left behind in Forks. I'm thirty two and I have nothing to show for it."

"Of course you do, baby girl. Your priorities are just different now. And it's not like you're ninety years old. There is still time for you to get what you really want."

"It just feels like Paul and I hit a wall every time things go well between us." She sipped on her sweet tea, sighing. Bella stared off blankly.

"Paul loves you. He just needs time, like he said. I promise you that everything is going to be fine. Just don't keep anymore secrets from him. He needs you to trust him enough to tell him everything. I think he's so afraid of getting hurt again."

"That's exactly what my secrets did, Mom. It hurt him."

"Just be patient with him, Bella. I'm sure he'll come around. Paul has never been unreasonable."

* * *

 **PPOV**

Paul felt like he was going crazy. It had been four days since Bella broke the news about the miscarriage and he needed someone to talk to. He was afraid to tell Jared, because of the pack mind. Not that he thought Jared would let it slip on purpose, but he wasn't going to take any chances. This wasn't something he wanted everyone to know about and he doubted that Bella felt any different about it. He had avoided his friends all week, keeping himself busy. Bella hadn't made contact with him, which frustrated him a little, but she was doing what he asked her to. She was giving him time.

That was how he found himself in front of his parents house. He was going to talk to his mother about this. She was a woman and hopefully she'd have some insight into the subject. He had tried to work through it himself, but he was coming up empty.

Paul knocked on the door and waited. He heard soft footsteps approach the front door. He knew it was his mother.

"Hi, honey." His mother greeted him with a big smile. "This is a lovely surprise."

"I probably should have called first to let you guys know I was coming."

"Of course not. You know you're always welcome." His mother ushered him inside and shut the door. Paul walked to the living room where his father was busy watching sports. He looked up and smiled at his only child, but his smile faltered at Paul's miserable expression. His father was a quiet man, but he was an observer. A listener. Those sharp eyes missed nothing.

"What's wrong?" His dad asked.

Paul sighed as he took a seat on the couch opposite his father. His mother joined her father, with a serious look on her face. Paul scratched his head awkwardly as he thought about how he was going to say what he needed to.

"I need to talk to you guys. This isn't something that other people can know about. It's very personal." He stared at each of his parents in turn, pleading.

"We're listening." His mother nodded for him to continue.

"Bella told me on Sunday that she had a miscarriage years ago, just before we broke up. She kept it a secret from me for all these years and now I don't know what to do. I don't know if I can trust her again."

"Wow." His mother sighed. It was probably a lot for her to digest, but he knew she wouldn't judge him, or Bella for that matter.

He watched silently as his mother thought about what to say.

"That must have been tough for her to go through. Does her mother know about this?"

"As far as I know she only confided in Leah."

"I can't imagine what that poor girl must have gone through on her own. She must have been scared out of her mind."

"If she'd told me, I could have been there for her. That's how it should have been." Paul jumped up in anger, hands fisted at his sides. "Dammit, Mom! That was my child too! A part of me. We both lost a baby. I just didn't know about it."

His mother opened her mouth to say something. He knew what she was going to say, so he stopped her. "I know I sound harsh, Mother. I get that the experience was worse for her. She physically went through the whole ordeal, but I wanted to be the one she trusted. She was the woman I'd planned on marrying. Now it all feels like it meant nothing to her."

"Oh honey. You know she loved you. She still loves you. That much is obvious. She told you so herself." His mother sighed and gave him a sympathetic smile. "I don't pretend to understand why she kept it from you and I'm not saying what she did was right, but maybe it was her way of coping."

Paul covered his face with his hands and groaned. He felt so fucking frustrated. On the one hand he was disappointed in Bella. Mad as all hell. She made him feel unworthy. In his mind it belittled the feelings they'd shared. On the other hand, she was his imprint. He loved her like no other and he had a choice to make. His mother knew it as well and she told him so, too.

"The beauty of the type of love you share, is that you get to choose to forgive her. Or not. But that is for you to decide."

"You're right, Mom. You're always right. Thank you." Paul said. He leaned over and kissed his mother on the cheek. He patted his dad on the back. His father had been quiet throughout the whole conversation and simply wished him luck with the decision he needed to make.

* * *

 **BPOV**

Bella almost didn't go on the trip. What was the use? All parties involved, except for Seth, were couples. They would all be in separate chalets and she wasn't sure how things would go if she and Paul were stuck together, alone. Awkward would be one way to describe the situation. Leah had talked her into going and that was how she found herself next to her best friend in the car, on the way to Portland. She nervously chewed on a thumb nail.

Leah looked over at her with a serious expression on her beautiful face. "Listen Bella. I'm going to be honest with you. Either you and Paul finally break it off, or you get your fucking shit together, but Jesus, just do something. The suspense is killing all of us. The two of you tiptoeing around each other this week has had everyone on edge. We are all rooting for you guys to get back together, but if you don't, at least just make the decision and get it over with."

Bella was shocked. She knew her friend was a straight shooter, but this was brutal honesty coming from her.

Bella blew out a breath. "I know and I'm sorry. I was just trying to give Paul his space. I'll talk to him tonight."

"Good." Kim piped up from the back seat.

Bella's nerves were shot. She didn't know how she would react when she saw Paul. The bigger question though, was how he would react? Would he finally forgive her, or would this be just another miserable weekend, where she would be stuck with the man that she loved, who ignored her completely?

It was the longest four-and-a-half-hour drive ever. She wanted to sort things out between them once and for all, but the road just didn't seem to end.

Leah had some up beat music playing in the car, but it did nothing to improve Bella's sour mood. She wished she hadn't come along. She should have stayed home with Ben and Jerry. They were excellent company. She hated this heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Bella turned her face to stare out of the window, hopefully the view would calm her nerves and take her mind off of what lay ahead.

The scene from the window did calm her. In fact, it lulled her into a light sleep for which she was thankful, because when she opened her eyes again, Leah was parking her car at reception.

Bella's stomach was full of butterflies. Not the good kind. It was nerves and dread all mixed together. She got out of the car to stretch her stiff and sore muscles groaned in protest. She didn't see Paul get out from the car that had stopped just in front of them. Maybe he was still avoiding her. She followed Leah, Kim and Aylen up the steps to the reception area. It was a small log cabin, brightly lit with a small fire burning in the fire place. A beautiful older woman smiled and welcomed them. Sam and Quil joined them and they listened as the receptionist explained the rules to them and handed them their room keys. They were supposed to be out by ten o' clock on Sunday morning. They thanked the woman and headed for their respective vehicles.

Leah let Sam lead the way in his truck, and then followed behind them. One more car took off after them, containing some of her other friends. They were too big of a group to only take two vehicles.

It was a short ride to the cabins. It was beautiful. They were in the woods. It was drizzling now and the snow was starting to melt. The trees formed a canopy above them, blocking out the moonlight that would provided some light. The only illumination came from inside the cabins, which were spaced out in a semi circle. There were logs placed in a circle in fronts of the cabins, where they could make a bonfire and a pile of wood was stacked to the side. Bella doubted that they would all be sitting outside tonight. It was simply too wet.

The guys were busy chatting, none of them in a hurry. They seemed so relaxed. Paul was laughing at something Quil said and didn't look her way once. She decided that she would take this time to unpack her bags, so she headed into the cabin she was going to share with Paul. Bella was surprised to find the cabin cozy and warm. A welcoming fire was already cracking in a small fire place. Everything was perfect, until Bella realized that there was only one bed. She sighed. She supposed she would take the pull out couch. Paul was simply too large to sleep comfortably on it.

Bella piled her pillows and blankets neatly on the couch and headed to the bathroom to unpack her toiletries. She focused on one task at a time to keep herself from going crazy. The suspense was simply too much.

When Bella finally zipped up her bag after unpacking her clothes, she stowed it under the king size bed and decided that she was going to make herself some cocoa.

Paul still hadn't come in when Bella padded toward the kitchen. She huffed in frustration. It was so obvious that he was avoiding her.

She grabbed her book and cocoa and headed to the couch, snuggling under a fluffy blanket. She shivered involuntarily. The fire was slowly burning out and soon the cabin would be freezing. Bella promised herself to that she would throw another log or two on the fire once she finished her cocoa.

Halfway into the fifth page of her book, the cabin door opened and Paul entered. His hair was glistening from the rain and his hoodie was wet. It must have started raining harder. This was probably the reason why he came in. She wondered how long he would have tried to avoid her if it wasn't for the rain.

"Hi." He greeted her. His dark eyes were narrowed as he spotted her on the couch.

"Hey." Bella replied, trying to sound casual and succeeded. She looked back down at her book, pretending to read, while her heart beat wildly and her mind reeled.

Paul dropped his bag in the living room and eyed the cabin. Bella cast a glance at Paul and found his eyes on her. She closed the book and set it down on the table, along with her empty mug. She cocked her head to the side, trying to assess his mood. He seemed nervous or uncomfortable. She wasn't sure which. God. This ridiculously beautiful man had a way of messing with her mind, body and emotions in a way that astounded her.

"So..." Paul began.

Bella arched an eyebrow. "So." She shot back at him. She'd apologized enough. It was time for him to either forgive her or finally let her go.

This week had given her time to forgive herself and finally think about the baby they had lost. She was done hating herself. She was done grieving. She had cried her eyes out and even confided in her mother. Her grieving period might have been short, but there was no sense in dwelling on things that happened years ago. She supposed there was a reason that their baby wasn't meant to be.

 **A/N: Little bit of a cliffy. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review. The story is slowly coming to an end, but you are welcome to let me know if you still feel something is missing from the story that you want to see happen. xxx**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hi guys. Thanks for reviewing. Here is the next chappie. Hope you enjoy. xxx**

Chapter 11- Out in the open

 **PPOV**

It was dark outside already. Paul's heart hammered in his chest. He was going to tell Bella that he was sorry for shutting her out. For taking so long to forgive her, but he still needed to tell her about the pack and imprinting. He hoped she wasn't angry at him. To be honest, he was so disappointed in her for not telling him about the baby she'd lost, but he too was harboring a secret. He was just as guilty as she was. He had talked to Billy after he left his parents yesterday. He was going to tell Bella tonight. He had arranged it with Sam. They would be close by when he showed her his wolf. He wasn't scared about loosing control, but he was scared about Bella's reaction. He wanted her to have someone to calm her if she freaked out.

She looked so beautiful in her soft pink sweater and fluffy slippers, sitting there on the couch. He loved her more than life itself and he felt a pang of guilt for pushing her away this week. She was his imprint for Christ sake. She looked so vulnerable to him at this very moment.

He walked over to her and knelt down in front of her. "I'm so sorry for pushing you away like I did. For ignoring you. For not forgiving you as soon as you told me." He took her hand in his. The stark contrast between their skin tones always amazed him. It looked beautiful. "I was an asshole."

Bella's face softened. She placed a hand on his cheek. He could hear her heart thumping. "I'm sorry for keeping it a secret. You deserved to know. You were a part of it, too."

"Let's just forget about the past and just try and move forward. I'm sick of not having you with me every second of every day."

Bella nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah. Let's move on."

"Good. There is just one more thing." Paul said and carefully watched Bella's face.

"Okay." She said skeptically. "What is it?"

Paul pulled her up from the couch. "I need to show you. Fairy tales and nightmares do exist, Bella. Please just try to keep an open mind."

"You're scaring me a little bit, Paul." Bella whispered as they reached the door.

Paul didn't answer her. He supposed that scared was just about the right reaction to have. Werewolves were supposed to be scary. He came to a stop just outside the cabin and let go of Bella's hand. He took a few steps backward to put some distance between him and his imprint. Twigs and leaves cracked and popped under his feet, almost echoing in the silence as he backed away.

* * *

 **BPOV**

Bella looked around at all her friends standing to the edge of the cabins, eyes trained on her. It made her worry even more, now.

"What the hell is going on?" Bella demanded.

"Just watch." Paul said to her. He took a deep breath and crouched slightly, like he was bracing himself for impact against some invisible force. Bella blinked twice as Paul's large form started shaking and became unfocused and blurry at the edges. With a loud grumble and the sound of material being torn, Paul's body swiftly transformed into something that Bella had only seen in movies.

Bella stumbled backward and landed on her butt with a big 'oof'. Right in front of her stood a large silver wolf. She didn't understand what was going on. Just seconds ago, Paul stood right where the wolf is now. Was she going crazy? She must be.

"What the fuck?" Bella cursed and looked around at her friends. They met her startled gaze with looks of sympathy. And maybe even a little humor...

Sam came to stand next to her and put his arm around her to comfort her. Or ground her in case she fainted. She wasn't sure which. "Relax, Bella. He's not going to hurt you. Remember the legends that Billy always told at the bonfires?"

Bella nodded her answer, raking a trembling hand through her hair. She didn't trust her voice to speak.

"...well, it's all true. We all turn into wolves." Sam motioned to the rest of the guys. "Oh, and Leah. She's the only female wolf, ever."

Bella listened to what Sam said, but her eyes never left Paul's lupine form. "Oh wow!" Bella responded in a panicked voice, eyes widening in realization. "I'm going crazy, aren't I?" She tore her eyes away from the silver wolf to look at Sam for confirmation.

A warm hand gripped her arm. "You're not going crazy." It was Paul who spoke this time. He stood in front of her in all his naked glory, assuring her that all of this absurdity she'd just witnessed was real.

"So you all just randomly turn into wolves?" Her voice broke on the last word.

"No, Bella. We're protectors. We protect humans against vampires. The cold ones."

"Oh Jesus, this is weird." Bella cradled her head between her hands. "Vampires and wolves. You've got to be kidding me. Is this a joke?" She stared blankly up at Paul.

"I told you that fairy tales and nightmares do exist." He grinned.

Everyone had disappeared. Bella supposed they wanted to give the two of them some privacy.

"When did you find out you were a wolf?" She whispered.

"Right after the break-up when I returned to Forks."

"I can't imagine how weird and scary it must have been."

"Are you mad at me for not telling you? I get it if you are. I accused you of keeping secrets, while I was doing exactly the same thing." His eyes flicked between hers, trying to read her.

"No, I'm not mad." She sighed and sat down on the wet ground. Her legs were shaking and she wasn't sure for how long she'd be able to stand. "It's just a lot to take in, Paul."

"There's something else about this whole wolf thing that you need to know."

"Oh god. There's more?" She choked.

"Yes. Imprinting..." He offered.

"Imprinting?" What the hell is imprinting? Bella frowned.

"It's when a wolf sees his mate for the first time after he phases. She becomes his whole world. It's a forever kind of love. A wolf imprints on a woman who can best help carry forth the wolf gene."

"So what does this mean for us? I'm not Quileute. Doesn't that mean that there is no point in us continuing this relationship?" Bella felt her heart break. Paul would someday soon meet his mate and what would happen to her? What would be left of her heart? Just as she thought everything would work out fine, shit like this happened... Every goddamn time.

"Bella, don't you see? _You_ are my imprint."

It took a few seconds for Paul's words to register with her. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Me?"

"Yes, baby. It's always been you. Don't you get that? No one will ever be good enough. I just want you."

"Oh Paul. God, you had me scared there for a few seconds." She clutched at her racing heart.

Paul pulled Bella up from the ground and into his arms. He peppered her face with kisses. "I love you, baby. So very much."

"I love you too, Paul. More than you'll ever know."

Paul scooped Bella up into his arms in one fell swoop and carried her to the the cabin. It was warm inside, but the fire was burning out. Paul put Bella down and threw a few logs on the dwindling fire, the newly added wood crackling and popping deliciously.

Bella pulled Paul back to her and captured his lips in hers. He growled, making her giggle. "My wolf." She whispered against his mouth.

"Only yours." He promised and pulled her down to the plush rug in front of the fire place. "Forever..."

Paul gently kissed each of her fingers, but stopped when her reached her ring finger. "Soon." He vowed, looking at her. "Very, very soon."

Bella's heart stuttered. He was promising her that he was going to marry her soon. Never in her life had Bella experienced this sheer amount of joy. She wanted to be his in every way, but tonight she would be content with being his physically.

Paul lifted her sweater over her head and kissed each of her breasts in turn, making her pink nipples rise in response. His thumb stroked her jaw gently and his lips found hers again. Her heart was racing. Flames licked at her insides, destroying everything in it's wake and leaving her paralyzed for him to take and do with as he pleased.

Paul shifted himself so that he was on top of her, steadying himself with both hands planted either side of Bella's head. He thrust himself against the needy apex between her thighs and curled his fingers into the waist of her pants, pulling them down gently. Bella lifted her hips to aid the journey of the material to her feet. She kicked the pants off, jiggling one leg as the clammy material clung to her skin and refused to part from her foot. Paul yanked at it, setting her free.

Bella's eyes rolled to the back of her head as Paul stroked her through her panties and yelped as she felt a sharp tug, hearing the tearing of material. She looked up into his eyes, brows mashed together in fierce determination to reach his target. He pumped the head of his engorged member into her wetness, once, twice and a third time, before he buried himself to the hilt inside of her.

"Fuck!" He ground out, his head turning to the side as his eyes crinkled shut. His lips were lax with sheer pleasure as he pumped in and out of her slowly, measuredly, like he was struggling with his control.

Bella clamped her legs around his hips, digging her heels into his butt and pulled him closer. Deeper. "Yes, god yes, baby." She moaned. "Just like that." He was turning her body into jell-o with each delicious undulation of his hips.

A light sheen of sweat coated their bodies as they moved together in perfect synchronization, floating higher and higher with each desperate and combined thrust.

Bella's hands traveled from Paul's hair to the hard, muscled expanse of his back, nails scraping over his copper skin. She was close now. So close...

"I don't think I can hold out any more," Paul groaned into Bella's hair, his hot breath fanning over her shoulder, sending shivers through her body. With a stuttering sigh Bella finally let go, following him over the edge and giving a strangled cry of pleasure into his shoulder.

As their movements stilled, apart from their mutual heavy breathing, Bella lifted her head slightly and planted a kiss on his pectoral. "Love you." She murmured against his skin.

Paul caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting her head up so he could look into her eyes. Her breath hitched in her throat at the emotions so plainly visible in those dark pools. Devotion, trust, love and peace. Her lips hitched up into a large smile.

"Love you, too. So much." He replied and lowered his head to capture her lips.

* * *

 **PPOV**

Morning came all too quickly. He didn't want to get up just yet. He needed a few more hours next to Bella, just feeling her warm body pressed up against his. He stared, mesmerized at Bella's sleeping form as a ray of sunlight filtered through a gap in the window, setting off her delicate skin in a warm glow. 'Beautiful'. He thought.

Paul sighed in contentment. He was truly happy. Everything was now out in the open. There were no more secrets. He felt like they could finally start moving forward.

A thrill claimed his body as he thought about asking her to move in soon and then asking her to marry him. He pictured Bella with a swollen stomach, carrying his child, while more dark haired children ran around at their feet. He had always hoped it would have been a reality by now, but he was just glad for the possibilities they still had.

At breakfast Paul was pleased to see Bella dig into her breakfast with so much gusto. She had slowly been picking up much needed weight, though her body still wasn't quite as full as it had always been.

Bella smiled up at him and rolled her eyes as her gaze flitted to the insane amount of food piled onto his plate. He shrugged at her and smiled sheepishly. They hadn't quite made it to dinner last night and Paul could definitely feel the repercussions as his stomach growled angrily at him.

"So, what are we doing today?" A curious Quil asked.

"Well, we were supposed to go skiing but thanks to the rain last night, a lot of snow washed away." Embry pouted. "But I heard about a place we could visit, from the receptionist. It's called Multnomah Villiage. Apparently there is always something to do there. And the girls can shop 'till they drop. We can even grab a late lunch there."

"Sounds like a plan." Sam said. "I saw on the weather forecast that more snow is expected to fall tonight. Maybe we'll be able to go skiing tomorrow."

Everyone at the table agreed, nodding eagerly.

* * *

 **BPOV**

Multnomah Villiage was filled with small shops from sidewalk to sidewalk. Shops that you just couldn't pass. Even the men were enthralled. Walking hand in hand, Paul and Bella broke off from the crowd for a while, just visiting every little shop. They had their phones on them if the rest of the pack wanted to meet up again.

Multnomah Antiques held so much different furniture and antique items, which captured Bella's attention. She stroked a finger idly over an old and fragile looking doll sitting up on a display unit.

Thinker toys, a sizeable but very crowded toy shop, held any toy a child could possibly want. Wooden toys, stuffed animals, large caterpillar machines, the cutest backpacks and even face paint stood stacked and stuffed into any space available. It was simply impossible to see everything unless you were willing to spend at least two hours in there. Paul's face was lit up like a child at Christmas. It was actually quite endearing.

You could literally walk past the same toys over and over again, seeing something new each time. If Bella had kids some day, she vowed to bring them here. She would willingly break the bank for them at this shop. She was sure Paul felt the same way.

"Amazing, right?" Paul said as he looked at her with wonder. He pulled Bella in for a kiss, dipping her low. He brought his lips to her ear and whispered, "I can't wait to bring our kids here." He pulled her back to his chest before she could reply.

"Definitely." She nodded, blushing profusely. Something about him mentioning having kids, out loud, made this moment even more intimate.

"Soon." He vowed again, just like last night when he mentioned marriage.

Her favorite by far was Hattie's sweet shop. Her mouth watered as soon as she walked into the shop. Even the air in the quaint little shop smelled sugary sweet. Sweets were stacked wall to wall and glass jars behind the counter held various kinds of sweets. She bet that she could find any kind of candy imaginable, in that shop. A glass display cabinet held dozens of different chocolaty yumminess, which caught her attention and held it. It beckoned her closer, calling her name. She new she wouldn't walk out of here without buying something and Bella could only imagine the delight a child would feel when setting foot in here.

They casually peeked in at small clothing shops and gift shops, not wanting to miss out on any hidden gems that the village might hold.

"Sam says that we should meet them at Renner's Grill in 10 minutes." Paul said and shoved his phone back into his pocket. "But first..." Paul threw Bella over his shoulder, strolling casually to the back of a small shop.

"What are you doing?" Bella squealed.

"Shhh." Paul held his finger over his lips, motioning for her to be quiet. Once they reached the back of the building, in a deserted alley, he set her back down on her feet.

Paul tugged down Bella's pants roughly and she giggled as realization set in. He was horny.

To speed up the situation, Bella helped Paul zip down his pants, but left it hang from his delicious hips.

Paul whipped out his massive hard-on, and stroked it lazily as he stared at Bella. His eyes were onyx, lust clearly smoldering in those intense orbs. He scooped her up and helped her wrap her legs around him, slipping easily into her wetness.

"Always so ready for me, aren't you. Fucking saporous minx."

Bella loved when he talked dirty to her. It made her arousal heighten tenfold.

He didn't take his time with her. He was needy right now - she realized this when she looked into his eyes.

"Better hold on tight, baby. This is going to be a quick fuck." He whispered against the shell of Bella's ear, eliciting a moan from deep inside her.

Paul thrust into her at an unforgiving pace, gripping her hips tightly. She tried to focus on his face, his eyes, his lips, but the pleasure he awakened inside of her made her eyes roll back. She knew she needed to listen for footsteps in case someone came around the corner, but she couldn't. She was simply too caught up in the heady sensation of his thick manhood stretching her deliciously as pounded into her core.

His hand slipped in between them, teasing and rubbing her clit.

"Paul! Oh Jesus. I'm going to come." She groaned. "I-I can't hold out any longer."

Paul captured her lips with his, probably to silence her, but groaned his climax into her mouth as his hips stuttered and jerked unevenly.

He kept Bella wrapped tightly up in his arms as she rested her face against his chest, listening to his rapid heartbeat slow down with each beat.

Slowly the cold began to creep in, cutting into her exposed flesh. She shivered despite Paul's heat.

"Time to go." Paul whispered against Bella's hair and placed a tender kiss there before letting her slide away from his body.

She pulled up her pants hastily, careful to avoid smearing their combined bodily fluids on her clothes.

* * *

 **BPOV**

Finally around two, they met up with the others for lunch at Renner's Grill. They were very late. They were supposed to meet up just after one o'clock, but if anyone noticed, they didn't say anything.

The restaurant was cozy and warm inside, for which Bella was thankful. Her stomach grumbled as she sat down, causing a round of laughter from the men. For a moment she couldn't quite understand why they were laughing, until she remembered that supernatural hearing was part of being a wolf.

Paul tucked her into his side and they scanned the menu together." So is eating a ridiculous amount of food also part of being a wolf?" She whispered in his ear. He turned to look at her, brown eyes dancing with humor. A lazy smile crept to his lips.

"Sure is." He said, his thumb tracing circles on the back of her hand.

The waitress helped them with a friendly smile, jotting down their orders on a note pad. Bella could see that she blushed a little as she looked at each of the men while taking their orders. Bella understood. The waitress had probably never seen this large a number of brutally handsome men together at the same time. She didn't flirt with any of them, though, which was a good thing, because as territorial as Bella felt about Paul, she couldn't imagine what Kim, Emily and the others would do if she tried her luck with them. The young woman tucked her blonde hair behind her ear and smiled as she assured them their food would be here soon.

* * *

 **PPOV**

Multnomah Falls was a mossy green expanse, covered in a thin layer of snow. Tall trees on either side of the bridge looked like it had been dusted lightly with snow. It was a sight to behold. The waterfall washed down the mountain in front of them and flowed down under a bridge running from one side to the other. Paul and Bella, along with Jared and Kim were standing on the bridge. The frosty spray misted gently over their faces as they leaned forward to take in as much of the sight as they could.

Tiny beads of mist pearled on Bella's dark hair and her cheeks glowed from the frigid winter air. He tried to focus on the scenery but got lost in those chocolate eyes gazing up at him from under her lashes. He wondered if she had any idea at all how she affected him. Paul's wolf was clawing at his insides, begging him to take his mate again. It was an overwhelming feeling. Paul painfully pushed his wolf back down, as he stretched his hand out to cup Bella's face. He dipped his head low, capturing his imprint's lips with his own. He took his time, leisurely kissing her.

Bella moaned into his mouth in response, adding to Paul's already painful arousal. He broke the kiss, trailing his lips along her jaw and dragged in a lungful of her intoxicating scent.

Someone cleared a throat. Paul looked up lazily. It was Jared.

"What?" Paul arched an annoyed brow at his friend.

"If you keep this up, the two of you will be mating right here, in public, before you know it." Jared chuckled.

Bella blushed and looked down at her feet.

"Sorry." Paul gave Jared and Kim a lopsided grin.

"Does this passion ever die down?" Bella asked Kim.

Kim shook her head and gave her a knowing smile. "No. It doesn't. But you learn to control it better." She chuckled. "Jesus! If I think of all the times Jared and I had to sneak away just to satisfy this demanding need, I get chills. You have no idea how many times we were caught having sex in public places."

Jared chuckled. "Yeah. Quite embarrassing, actually."

* * *

 **BPOV**

After spending a little more time at Multnomah Falls and _actually_ taking in the natural beauty of their surroundings, they headed off to do more shopping.

Bella had bought an obscene amount of clothes from a local designer. Paul had to admit that their clothes were worth the price. He'd even acquired a few items for himself, as well.

Paul's eye had caught a jewelry store on their way through the village this morning. He couldn't get the idea out of his head to go check out the store. So when Bella and Kim headed toward a bookstore, Paul whispered to Jared that he needed his best friend's help to go look for rings.

Jared looked up with wide, surprised eyes and agreed with a big, bright smile.

"Why don't you girls go check out the bookstore. Paul and I will meet you back here." Jared said.

"Yeah, okay." Kim answered and Bella nodded in agreement. The men and women split up, going their separate ways.

 **A/N: Please review. xxx**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hi guys. You truly are awesome. I appreciate each and every review. So, I enjoyed writing this chapter. Hope you guys aren't disappointed. Much love. Mrs. LMB**

Chapter 12 - Positive progress

 **BPOV**

"Hey." Bella peeked in through the front door, letting Emily know of her presence.

"Hi, hi." Emily greeted with a wave as she waddled into the living room to greet her. Her belly was really growing with enormous speed these days. "Come. I'm almost done with a batch of muffins, if you're hungry. And with Leah here, god knows how long you'll still have a chance at taking one for yourself."

"Definitely." Bella nodded and followed her friend to the kitchen where the smell of blueberry muffins wafted through the kitchen.

"Hi, Lee." Bella greeted her friend with a hug.

"Mmm. I missed you, B." Leah said as she hugged her hard. Not having Leah close by to talk to on an almost regular basis sucked. Especially now that she had gotten used to it again. Leah had been away ever since they came back from Portland, two weeks ago.

"How was the photo shoot?"

"It went really well. I enjoyed every second. I'm actually heading off in a week again. But this time, I'm taking Adrian with me."

"I'm so jealous." Emily added. "I've never been anywhere."

"You went to Portland two weeks ago." Leah pointed out like the little (or not so little) know it all she was.

"You know what I mean, Leah." Emily rolled her eyes. "I'm talking about places like Barbados or Cancun. Something exciting. Romantic."

"So, how are things going with the baby?" Bella asked as she seated herself at the kitchen table, her eyes once again traveling over Emily's protruding belly.

"Good." Emily replied as she bent down to pull a tray of gargantuan muffins from the oven. She straightened and shut the door with a kick of her foot, her thickly gloved hands placing the hot pan on the stove top. "He's a busy little man. Kicks his mommy as much as he can." She cooed as she rubbed her baby bump lovingly.

"How are things going with you and Paul, now that you're living together?" She asked.

Bella thought back to two weeks ago, when Paul had asked her to move in with him. Bella chuckled inwardly. It wasn't quite the romantic event that she'd pictured it would be, though she wouldn't trade it for the world. Paul had blurted out the question one night during sex. She was so surprised that she burst out in giggles. He didn't think it was funny at first, but they'd joked about it later when they were glowing in the aftermath of the fierce love making that followed her 'yes' to his question.

"It's going very well. It's so satisfying to wake up next to him every morning. I must admit that I struggled to keep up with my daily tasks the first week. We literally had sex all the time. It got so bad, that we almost didn't have clothes for work. He never gave me a chance to do laundry. We practically lived in his bed." Bella grinned. "That's when I put my foot down."

"Yeah. I remember it being like that when I moved in with Sam, as well. It's the wolf, claiming his mate in _his_ territory. The only thing to do, like you said, is to put your foot down. Period."

"Mmm," Bella agreed distractedly. Something about Emily's words was gnawing at her. Period...

Bella bolted upright. "PERIOD!" She exclaimed to a startled looking Emily. Bella's mind was reeling. Since she and Paul had sex the first time, she hadn't gotten her period. That was almost three months ago. Bella's heart stuttered in excitement. Could it be possible?

"Yes. That's what I said." Emily retorted, looking a little confused. "You have to be firm with them, or you'll be caught up in bed for years to come."

"No, Em. _Period_." She shook her head at her friend, a giggle escaping from her lips. "Period as in...I've skipped my period for the last three months, period." For a OB/GYN, Bella was really terrible at tracking her own periods. God! Her being busy didn't excuse it.

"Ohhh!" Emily's eyes widened as realization dawned on her. Leah was busy squealing like a school girl, glee written all over her perfect features.

"Yeah." Bella gave the girls a knowing look. "Do you think it's possible?"

"Did you use protection?" Leah asked mischievously.

"No, not the first time." Bella bit her lip between her two front teeth, trying to reign in her excited emotions. "We were a little caught up in the moment..."

"Caught up majorly is more like it." Leah quipped.

What if she was giving herself false hope? She was so ready for a baby and she was almost a hundred percent certain that Paul was, too.

"I've got a pregnancy test lying around in the bathroom cupboard from when Sam and I were still trying for a baby." Emily was practically vibrating with excitement. "You're welcome to use it if you want?"

That was how Bella found herself sitting on the edge of Emily's old, chipped bathtub, with two purple lines staring back at her.

Bella swallowed thickly, as tears of joy threatened to spill from her eyes. She blinked again, just to make sure she wasn't imagining things. Her heart raced a million miles a second. This was finally happening. They were going to be a family.

Emily and Leah peeked in through the bathroom door with cautious eyes. Their eyes scanned the stick in Bella's hand and Leah raised an eyebrow in question.

The tears that had threatened mere seconds ago, finally spilled onto her cheeks as she nodded and gave her friends a wet smile.

Emily clapped her hands to her mouth, nodding her head frantically. "Really?"

Bella turned the test stick toward Emily to show her the proof. Emily squealed in delight.

Rushing to push past Emily, Leah pulled Bella into a tight embrace. She swayed her from side to side. "God, I'm so happy for you. I can't think of two people more deserving than you and Paul."

"That means a lot, Lee." Bella said as Leah finally let her go, handing her off to Emily.

"So, how are you planning on breaking the news to Paul?" Emily asked a short while later, as she placed a steaming cup of tea in front of Bella.

"Uhm, I guess I haven't gotten that far, yet." Bella confessed. "Maybe I could invite our parents over for dinner and break the news collectively?"

"Yeah, that's a great idea. Then you could cook an array of baby vegetables, as a hint. See who figures it out first." Leah agreed, a smiled danced on her lips.

Bella's mind was reeling now. She liked the idea. "Baby carrots, peas and potatoes."

"What about Brussels sprouts? Technically they're baby cabbages." Emily suggested as she took a sip of her own tea.

"Good. That's good." Bella nodded her head. "What about the meat, though?"

"Mmm," Emily tapped her chin, thinking hard for a few seconds. "Aha!" Her face lit up. "Spaghetti meat balls. Only, tiny meat balls instead of the regular ones."

"Genius!" Bella gushed. "I could kiss you right now."

"Sam doesn't share." Emily joked.

"Oh ha!" Bella tried on a sarcastic laugh.

"So, when did you want to have the dinner?" Leah wondered out loud. Her mind was obviously working overtime. She was so used to being front and center in Bella's life where 'big news' was concerned, that it wouldn't surprise Bella if she hid a camera in the house just so she could see how the dinner party played out. Maybe she could pick it from Paul's mind during a patrol?

"Definitely tomorrow night. I'm going to have a hard enough time tonight just trying to keep it a surprise for Paul, so I really don't want to delay it for too long."

"I agree." Emily nodded.

* * *

 **PPOV**

Paul was heading home after a long day at work. He was tired and the only thing he wanted to do when he got home was to wrap Bella up in his arms. He had been worried all day long about Bella's strange behavior the previous night. She'd been extremely quiet, almost as if she tried to avoid him and when he confronted her about it, she merely shrugged it off with an excuse that she was just a little tired.

They were having dinner with their parents, tonight. It had been so long since they've done that. He supposed it was about time. Things were getting serious between him and Bella. He was planning on asking her to marry him soon. He kept the ring in his pocket at all times, just waiting for the right opportunity. He just hoped that Bella didn't think it was too soon.

Paul fished the ring out of his pocket while easily managing the steering wheel with his other hand. He flipped open the black, velvety box. With the help of Jared, he'd found the perfect ring for Bella at Multnomah village. A large, tear drop diamond stared back at him. The thin band of the ring was filled with tiny diamonds. He knew she would like it. He couldn't wait to ask her to marry him.

Paul greeted his father and Charlie with the shake of a hand as he entered the house and made quick small talk before heading further into the house to seek out his mate. Bella was busy in the kitchen, chatting to their mothers. His stomach growled in response to the heavenly smell of her cooking. Three pairs of eyes lifted to him as he entered, making a beeline for Bella. He grabbed her into a tight embrace, kissing her soundly and making her blush. "Hi, babe."

"Hi." She replied, placing a soft hand on his cheek. Her endless pools of molten chocolate eyes shone with desire.

The two older women smiled in delight at their open display of affection toward each other. He supposed they've waited long enough for this day.

"Hi, mom." He greeted his raven-haired mother with a kiss on the cheek and rounded the table toward Bella's mother.

"Good to see you, Mrs. Swan." Paul said, greeting her in a similar fashion.

"How was you're day, love?" Bella asked as she handed him an ice cold beer.

"Busy as always, but fairly uneventful. Mostly stomach aches and the sniffles. Nothing life-threatening." He answered, but frowned at the strange expression on Bella's face. It was a mix of barely-contained excitement and nerves. Her eyes glinted mischievously.

Something was up and he vowed to himself that he would make it his mission to find out what it was, as soon as their parents stepped out the door tonight.

"Why don't you go tell our dads that dinner is ready?" Bella asked politely.

"Sure." He responded with narrowed eyes, still very suspicious, but did as she asked.

* * *

 **BPOV**

As Bella placed the last bowl of food on the table, she urged them to dig in, anxious for their responses.

"Oh, how cute." Her mother commented as she finished plating up. Bella held her breath. Maybe her mother would be the one to figure it out. But no... nothing. Her mother was totally unaware of the hidden meaning.

Paul smiled at Bella. "Looks good, babe." He didn't waste any time in digging into his food.

'Damn." Bella thought. The message was clearly lost on her hungry boyfriend. For a sharp, intelligent man like him, he could be so fucking daft at times.

The men chatted merrily as they ferried all her hard work into their mouths, just as oblivious to what Bella was trying to say. She sighed, giving up. This was apparently a lost cause.

"Some wine?" Paul asked her as he filled everyone's glasses.

"No, not for me, love. Thanks." She declined his offer, taking a bite of a small, crunchy carrot.

"Wait a minute!" Mrs. Lahote narrowed her hazel eyes suspiciously. She looked down at her plate with a renewed interest. "No!" She jumped up, a smile breaking out over her face. "Tell me I'm not imagining things!"

Bella's heart raced. Finally someone had caught on. The others looked on in obvious confusion at Mrs. Lahote's reaction. Bella nodded at Paul's mother, returning her smile with a dazzling smile of her own and got up from her chair as well.

"Oh, honey." Mrs. Lahote said as she pulled Bella in for a hug, both women crying now.

"Uhm, are we missing something?" Charlie piped up at their cryptic exchange, confusion clearly written over his face.

Bella giggled as she turned toward everyone now staring at her with open befuddlement written on their faces, mirroring Charlie. Even Paul had stopped eating, which was an amazing feat in and of itself. "I'm pregnant." Bella announced.

Paul's fork clattered loudly against his plate as he stared at her in shock, jaw dropping to the floor. Bella sniffed and gave him a teary grin.

A brilliant smile that threatened to split Paul's face in two, broke out on his face. She was in his arms in less than a second. He held her gaze as he asked, "We're pregnant? Really?" His own eyes now swam with emotion.

Bella nodded and more tears followed. "You're going to be a daddy."

Paul pulled Bella in for a fierce kiss before releasing her and holding her at arms length. He place a tender hand on her belly, rubbing it gently. He stared up at her again in amazement. His eyes locked with hers. He stroked his thumb ever so lightly under her eye, wiping away her tears.

Their private moment was soon interrupted by various arms, excitedly pulling her in for hugs and congratulations.

Charlie shook Paul's hand and clapped him on the shoulder. "S'bout time, son." Charlie's mustache twitched with emotion as he passed Paul on to his father, who congratulated him in much the same way.

"How could I have been so daft?" Reneé said as she wiped her eyes with a napkin. "The food. How creative, honey."

Bella laughed happily. "I had basically given up when none of you got the hint. I was ready to pull out the pregnancy test and just plop it down on the table in front of you all."

"It only clicked when you refused the wine Paul offered." Mrs. Lahote said, still in awe. "I've never know you to refuse a good bottle of red wine."

"So, when did you guys decide to start trying for a baby?"Mr. Lahote asked, curious.

"Actually, we didn't." Paul answered as he took Bella's hand.

"Yeah," Bella blushed. "This little peanut is a total surprise, but a welcome one, none the less."

"How far along are you?" Her mother asked as she swallowed a piece of meatball.

"I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I think it's about twelve weeks or so. I only found out yesterday."

"So that's why you were acting so strange last night." Paul's face lit up in realization.

"Oh god, you have no idea how badly I wanted to tell you. I almost let it slip on a few occasions, actually. So I tried instead to avoid you, so I wouldn't spill the beans."

Paul dug his hand into the pocket of his pants, pulling out a black, velvet box and went down on one knee in front of her.

'Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god.' Bella thought as she heard the delighted squeals of their mothers.

"Bella. I was holding onto this, just waiting for the right moment." Paul said as he opened up the tiny box, holding the ring up to her. "And after your news, I can't imagine a better time than now." His hands were shaking slightly. "I've waited for what felt like a lifetime to have you back in my arms. Now that I have you, I'm never letting you go. Please say that you'll be mine forever?"

"Yes, of course I will." Bella said, smiling broadly at Paul as he slipped a beautiful tear drop diamond ring onto her finger.

"Oh god, it's so perfect." Bella murmured as she held up her hand to admire the ring. He knew her so well.

Paul pulled her in for another hug, as congratulations were yet again passed around.

"You two have truly made me a very happy woman, tonight." Mrs. Lahote sobbed openly now. "I think I speak for all of us when I say that for a long time, we didn't think this day would ever come. Bella, honey, you are everything we could ever ask for in a daughter." She sniffed softly. "You've made my boy so happy. A love like yours only comes around once."

Bella nodded, smiling. She wiped away her tears. "You have no idea how much I love your son. I'm so lucky."

* * *

 **PPOV**

When their parents finally left around eleven, Paul and Bella were busy exchanging ideas about how to break the news to their friends. They had finally come up with the idea to take two pictures. One, where he and Bella were standing at the oven, the door peaking open to reveal a loaf of bread. The other, where Bella held up her hand, to show off the ring, with a expression of shock on her face.

Bella was ready and waiting for Paul to set the camera up on the counter. He pressed the timer button.

"Hurry." Bella squealed excitedly as Paul hurried over to the oven, a laugh bubbling out from his mouth.

He flashed his best smile at the camera as they both held the oven door open.

The flash of the camera signaled that the picture was taken.

Bella and Paul hurried over to the camera to see how the picture came out.

"Awww. It's perfect." Bella smiled and looked up at Paul.

"We got the perfect angle." He agreed. He was still wearing an indelible smile ever since the news of her pregnancy.

They snapped a picture of her for the news of their engagement and sat down together on the couch. Bella snuggled in to him as they transferred the camera pictures onto the laptop. They were going to post it on social media.

"You don't think they'll be mad at us for not telling them in person?" Bella asked.

"I doubt it. We can tell them in person, tomorrow as well."

Bella nodded. She inhaled Paul's scent. It was just as intoxicating as his heat. He could turn her on so easily. Her body already hummed with need. A thought hit Bella suddenly, making her sit up right.

"What's wrong?" Paul's brows mashed together in concern.

"Nothing's wrong." She soothed. "I was just thinking..."

"Yeah?" He asked skeptically.

"You know how crazy our imprint makes us? How we can't seem to stay out of bed?"

"Uh huh." Paul narrowed his eyes. He obviously wasn't sure where she was heading with this.

"Well, what's going to happen when the second trimester hormones hit me full-on?"

Paul laughed. It was an amused chortle. "Oh, babe." He stroked her hair lovingly and placed a kiss on her head. "We'll just have to stay in bed, all day long."

Bella chuckled. "Could work."

"I love you, Bella Swan." He whispered.

"I love you, too. Paul Lahote."

 **A/N: So, any thoughts? Are you disappointed with the way he proposed to her? Anyways, this was the second to last chapter. The end is nearing...**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: OH MY GOD! You guys are awesome. Thank you so much for your continued support and reviews. A special thanks to those of you who've been following my stories from the get go. You know who you are! ;) So yeah, we've finally arrived at the end. Thank you again for continuing with me trough the journey of Doctor, Doctor. I've almost given up many times... If it weren't for the awesome reviews, I probably would have... So, please enjoy the last chapter. Love you guys. Mwha xxx**

Chapter 13 - Epilogue

 _Five years later:_

 **BPOV**

"Mama!" Abby complained. "Nick and Lucas are stealing my cheerio's!"

"Behave." Bella gave her two sons a stern look. "I'll get you some more, sweetie." She told her three year old daughter. Sometimes the twins could really be devious. Right now they were still 'being good', so to speak. Bella swore they'd inherited their father's ability to cause trouble. In fact, they've inherited _everything_ from him. They were the spitting image of Paul in every single way - not one drop of Bella could be found in them.

"Morning, babe." Paul greeted Bella with a big smooch as he waltzed into the kitchen. His eyes found his two little trouble makers and he smiled. "Giving your mother hell, I see?" He ruffled the two boys' hair.

"No, Dad. We just wanted more cheerio's." Lucas stated in an angelic voice. As loving as Paul could be (and God knows he loved his children more than life itself) he could be just as strict. And the twins knew that very well. They were always careful where their father was concerned.

"Then ask your mother for more. Don't steal your sister's breakfast. And go easy on mommy. She's carrying precious cargo."

"Okay." Nick gave in. "Mom, can we have some more cheerio's?" He gave his mother his best, dazzling smile. Just another trait he'd received from his father.

"Of course you can, honey." Bella handed Nick the box and milk, sending him on his way to his brother.

"And how are we this morning?" Paul asked Abby as he took a seat at the kitchen table next to her. She was her daddy's angel. She had him wrapped around her pinky. Paul always said it's because she looks so much like her mother. Well, mostly like her mother. Bella had to admit that Paul had some strong-ass genes, because all three of their children strongly resembled him. Though, Abby just a little less. She had Bella's eyes and pouty lips. Her nose, skin tone and hair - well, that she'd inherited from Paul.

Abby tossed her long black tresses over her shoulder and smiled sweetly up at her father. Bella could practically see Paul's heart melt. "I'm fine, Daddy. But your son's are driving me crazy."

Paul barked a laugh. "My son's? Not your brothers?"

"Those trouble makers are in no way related to me." She stated matter-of-factly and ferried a big spoonful of cereal into her mouth.

"Hey, you need to hurry up, wise little owl." Bella touched the tip of Abby's nose with a gentle finger. "It's almost time to go." It was Bella's job to drop the kids off at daycare, but since Paul's parent's had begged them to take the kids away for the weekend, Bella had to drop them off at their grandparents before work. God help them. She almost felt sorry for Paul's mom and dad. Her kids could be a real handful.

Bella waddled over to Paul and placed his breakfast in front of him. She was huge. Just like she'd been with Lucas and Nick. In another month or so, two more Lahote boys would be making their way into this world. God. This house was already filled with so much testosterone, though she wouldn't trade it for the world.

Bella and Paul had laughed about the fact that it was lucky they were both doctors, because when all the boys phased some day, she'd have to provide copious amounts of food around the clock, which would certainly put a dent in their salaries. They even joked about creating a separate bank account just for food.

"How are my other two boys doing?" Paul asked as he placed a gentle hand on her belly and cooed at his unborn son's.

"Kicking the living daylights out of mommy."

The pack had joked lately about Paul and Bella's ability to reproduce like bunnies. Which was kind of true, but they'd both decided they didn't want to waste time in creating a family. So about a year after the boys were born, they'd decided it was time for another baby and not long after trying, Bella had fallen pregnant with Abby. After Abby had been born, they talked about waiting another two years before having another little one, as they already had their work cut out for them with their two busy boys. A little over a year later, Bella had accidentally fallen pregnant when she forgot to take her pill. Paul didn't mind though, but they were both a little shocked when Bella's sonar showed two little heartbeats instead of one - and that was how Bella now found herself, once again, very heavily pregnant at eight months. This would be her last pregnancy and she cherished these last few months with all she had. She had told Paul that five children were really more than enough, to which he'd said that he wouldn't mind one more daughter. Luckily Bella had talked some sense into him when she mentioned the fact that it might be twins again. He'd conceded eventually, for which Bella was very thankful.

They were happy with their big family, although, sometimes she felt like she could barely handle Abby, let alone the boys. Imagine adding two more to the equation. But the pack and their families helped out a lot. Paul and Bella even had weekly date nights, thanks to her mom and dad. And they needed it. The only other alone time the got was when the munchkins were in bed. Much needed alone time. Bella had to admit that the passion between them hadn't dwindled one bit, though they just had to concentrate all that passion into wild sessions of sex at night, when they finally made it to bed. Sometimes they even had sex straight through the night. God knows they had a hard time keeping their hands off each other. She sometimes felt insatiable, just craving more and more from Paul. And he was always so willing to give his body, over and over again - until Bella could barely move, let alone keep her eyes open.

* * *

 **PPOV**

Bella stripped herself bare in front of him as they waited for the water from the shower to heat up.

"Jesus Christ. How are you still so fucking beautiful?" He murmured and dropped his lips to her neck, placing hot kisses over her sensitive skin.

"You're not half bad yourself." She quipped and eyed him up and down, her eyes stopping shamelessly to admire his rock hard manhood, now standing proudly at attention, just for her.

Bella gripped his cock in her hand, pumping him slowly. She sank to her knees, big belly and all and took him into her hot little mouth. "Ah, fuck. Yes baby." He groaned. He loved fucking that delicious mouth of hers.

He bucked his hips and plundered her mouth, moving in time with her. She sucked and licked, nibbled and grazed with that talented mouth of hers, until he was ready to burst. "Oh fuck, babe." He grunted. "I'm so close."

Suddenly Bella stopped, plopping him from her mouth. "Good. Cause I think the water is warm now." She smirked, her eyes glinting mischievously.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Nope." She teased and slid into the shower.

"In that case, be ready to get punished. I don't want to hear any complaints when I fuck you until you break a hip. You asked for it." He growled and followed her into the shower.

Bella giggled. "Oh. I'm so scared." She feigned horror. "Please don't hurt me, Mr. big, bad wolf."

Paul flipped her body around in a flash, forcing her to bend over as he thrust himself deeply into her.

"Ah!" She cried out. "Yes baby. Give it to me like never before."

Paul grunted as he slammed into her needy core, his eyes rolling back. Her heady scent, so very concentrated thanks to her pregnancy, made him feel like he was tripping on ecstasy. It drove him and his wolf wild. He tried to force out dirty words, knowing how it turned her on, but no. Nothing. He was too enthralled by this insanely hot body he was now buried in, that he couldn't get a word out.

His hands gripped her hips tightly as he thrust into her frenetically. He was losing control, the tether that held him together ready to snap.

Wanting her to come with him, he moved a hand to her clit, rubbing it feverishly. She mewled in response and her walls starting to quiver.

"I'm gonna-" she cried, clamping down deliciously tight around him, before she could finish her sentence. "Ah, yes!"

Her tight body sent him over the edge, milking him with fervor, as hot bursts of his seed saturated her core.

"Christ, baby! Fuck, that's so good." He moaned his pleasure, slowing his pace as they came down from their peak together.

Bella's swollen body collapsed against him, weak but satiated from their fierce coupling. Paul steadied her and kissed the hair against her temple. "I love you, baby."

"Love you more." She mumbled.

The rest of the night continued in similar fashion, neither of them wanting to waste the precious alone time they were given, which, thanks to an empty house, found them re-christening most of the surfaces in the house, until neither of them could move anymore and they just let sleep take over.

* * *

 _One month and a couple of days later:_

 **BPOV**

"Just a few more pushes, Bella. The doctor said as Paul stood, gently rocking the first baby in his arms.

"Ahhh!" Bella ground out between clenched teeth as she gave a really big push.

"Oooh, babe, you're so close now." Paul said excitedly. "I can see the head."

"Yeah?" Bella asked, nodding hopefully and wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.

"Yeah." Paul gave Bella a rallying smile and squeezed her calf with his free hand. He was so good with all of this. He had been since the beginning, with the delivery of Lucas and Nick. She'd seen countless dads pass out at the sight of...well...all of the blood and stretching and amniotic fluid. She was glad Paul was good with blood.

"Last push, Bella. You know the drill. As soon as the contraction hits, I want you to give it all you've got and push really hard." Her doctor urged again.

Bella breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth, just like she'd told her patients on countless occasions. "Okay." Bella nodded again.

As the next contraction hit her, Bella doubled over in pain, moaning as she pushed with all her might.

"That's it. Good job, Bella. Well done." The doctor said as he lifted a crying baby up to her line of vision. "Congratulations on your two boys." He smiled at her.

Paul made his way carefully toward Bella, giving her a lingering kiss. "Thank you, baby. For all my beautiful children. You really are a rock star." He handed Ethan to her, who was dozing contently, all wrapped up in a soft blue blanket.

Bella watched as Paul collected their second son from the nurse, kissing him softly on his head. "Hey there, Tyler." He whispered. "Welcome to the family." She sniffled as her eyes started tearing up. Through all the heartache and lost time, they still got their happy ending. She could never be thankful enough.

"You know, babe. I feel really sorry for you, but even these two," He said, nodding his head toward their newborn son's, "don't look anything like you." He grinned.

Just like Nick and Lucas, these two, with their full heads of black hair, resembled Paul in every way. She didn't mind though. They were fiercely beautiful, just like their father.

Fin

 **A/N: It's sad to say goodbye to Doctor, Doctor. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Love y'all! Please review for old time's sake. xxx**


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